The Honke Matsuura Sake Brewery, founded in 1804 in Naruto, Tokushima Prefecture, has brewed fine sake using local rice and water for over two centuries. Since succeeding her father in 2011, tenth-generation brewmaster Matsuura Motoko has actively sought new ways to help visitors from around Japan and the world appreciate the brewery’s sake along with its history and deep connections to the surrounding community.

With these objectives, Matsuura developed the Naruto Sake Story visitor program. Offerings include tours of the brewery’s original sake storehouse and current brewing operations, as well as tasting sessions with explanations of different sake varieties. Visitors can reserve special private on-site dinners of Italian or French-fusion cuisine expertly paired with the brewery’s own sake. Additionally, excursions into the community are available; these include planned trips to a nearby temple, a soy-sauce factory, a pottery kiln, and an indigo-dyeing studio.

A Trade Legacy Spanning More Than Two Centuries

Characterized by its rustic structure of wooden posts and beams, the nineteenth-century sake storehouse dates back to 1804, when Naozo Yoshiyuki Matsuura II founded the brewery. Now designated a Tangible Cultural Property, the interior has been remodeled to include a shop and a tasting room.

Panels inside and outside the storehouse provide clear historical explanations in English and Japanese. A helpful timeline links important brewery milestones with contemporary world events; for instance, the brewery’s founding in 1804 is listed alongside Napoleon’s coronation as emperor of France that same year.

Another significant year listed is 1886, when the brewery registered its Narutotai trademark, which features a red sea bream (tai) from the nearby Naruto Strait. These fish, strengthened by swimming through the Strait’s famous whirlpools, are prized for their meaty texture and delicious flavor.

Tours of the current sake-brewing facility are offered during the brewing season in winter. Visitors can view the moromi mash and learn about the production process.

Sake Tastings and Creative Pairings

Tasting sessions at Honke Matsuura Sake Brewery give participants the opportunity to learn about the different types of sake the brewery produces. A brewery representative explains the different characteristics of each sample poured into a glass and placed on a labeled paper mat for easy tracking. Participants are encouraged to ask questions; they may purchase bottles of their favorite sake from the on-site shop.

Visitors who reserve a private dinner at the former Matsuura residence on the brewery grounds have the option of including specially paired sake from the brewery to complement their meal. The interior is classically Japanese, featuring tatami-mat floors, wooden furnishings, and sliding doors. However, the cuisine served is distinctly French or Italian, and the sake is served in wine glasses. Brewmaster Matsuura Motoko made these choices to emphasize the broad appeal and versatility of sake—a drink that is fundamentally Japanese, but universally adaptable.

A History of Trade, Travel, and Craftsmanship Along the Muya Kaido Road

Throughout its early history, Honke Matsuura Sake Brewery was strategically situated along the Muya Kaido Road. This major thoroughfare connected eastern parts of Shikoku island to the port of Muya, approximately 70 km east of the brewery, where boats traveling to Honshu would embark. Towns along the road developed local industries and businesses to trade with travelers and cater to their needs.

The local excursions developed by Matsuura Motoko, offered in conjunction with brewery tours as part of the Naruto Sake Story program, allow visitors to explore this legacy of trade, travel, and craftsmanship. A tour and tasting session at a nearby soy-sauce brewery gives insight into the production process of one of Japan’s most common condiments. For those wanting to explore local artisanal traditions, hands-on experiences are available at pottery kilns specializing in Otani earthenware, as well as at studios where guests can learn how to dye textiles with the local Awa indigo.

Travelers have long traversed the Muya Kaido Road as part of the Shikoku Henro, a traditional pilgrimage to 88 temples around the island. The first temple on the Shikoku Henro route, Torinin Temple, is located just five minutes on foot from the Matsuura brewery, and is available to visit as part of the program.

The Unlikely Brewmaster Who Continued a Family Legacy

While Honke Matsuura Sake Brewery had been in her family for nine generations, Matsuura Motoko never expected to run the operation. Sake production became an almost exclusively male enterprise during the Edo period (1603–1867), with taboos against female brewers only beginning to be lifted after World War II. Consequently, female brewmasters remain relatively rare in Japan today. 

When unexpected circumstances led to Matsuura Motoko taking over the sake brewery in 2011, she faced a difficult task, as her knowledge of the brewing process and the business was limited. However, through dedication and diligent study, she successfully guided the brewery into a new era, driven by a desire to make sake accessible and appealing to people of all genders and nationalities.

International Award-Winning Sake

Honke Matsuura Sake Brewery’s Narutotai sake range has garnered numerous domestic and international awards. Recent accolades include consecutive gold medals at the Kura-Master Japanese Sake Competition in France for Narutotai LED in both 2023 and 2024, in addition to a gold medal at the Fine Sake Awards Japan in Osaka for their Mizutokome junmai genshu sake. Another highly favored variety is the brewery’s special sudachi sake, which incorporates honey and sudachi—a lime-like green citrus fruit, roughly the size of a golf ball, with a rather tart taste.