Historical Museum/History of Sake Brewing

History of Sake BrewingThe history of Ishikawa Brewery started on September 1, 1863 (under the old calendar). The original location of the brewery was in Ogawa village on the opposite bank of the Tama River. Ishikawa Brewery had a Tanauchi relationship with Tamura Shuzoujou. (The members in that relationship originally worked for one original business organization and are now working for the original organization or another that branched from the original and runs the same type of business; they are tied with blood or former master-servant relationship.) In 1881, Ishikawa Brewery built a new kura (storehouse) in the present Kumagawa area and, in 1883, the whole business finished moving to this location. Ishikawa Brewery earlier used "Yae-zakura" (double-flowered cherry) as a brand name at first after the establishment of the business. This brand name showed the sister-company relationship with Morita Shuzo in Ogawa village who brewed "Yae-giku" (double-flowered chrysanthemum). In 1919, the brand was renamed "Yae-ume" (double-flowered plum), and in 1933, the present brand name, "Tamajiman," came to be used.

Below: Sake trademark of Ishikawa Brewery
Below at right: Souvenirs from Edo
When the brewers returned to their hometowns, they took these items home as souvenirs, pasted to folding screens, etc., and valued them.
Sake trademark of Ishikawa Brewery
Twisted rice cake

Twisted rice cake
To check the quality of steamed rice, the rice was kneaded by hand and made into rice cakes.
The shapes of the rice cakes varied, and the cakes were eaten as late-night snacks or taken to the hometowns as souvenirs.

Beer Trademark of Ishikawa Brewery

After the Meiji Restoration, beer began to be brewed in the foreigners' colonies in Yokohama and Hokkaido and, in the 1880s or 1890s, beer making started in many places in Japan.
Ishikawa Beer Brewery (presently Ishikawa Brewery Co., Ltd.) began making beer in February 1888 and, in June of the same year, they started selling their beer to customers in neighboring districts, Tokyo, and Yokohama by the designation of "Nihon-Bakushu" ("JAPAN BEER" on the English label). A German-style brewing method was employed, and 54,000 liters of lager beer were made per year. However, because crown caps were not used for bottling and the bottles were easy to break, and because of other negative factors, the brewing equipment was sold in 1890.
Incidentally, in 1870, Sapporo Breweries Ltd. started using the trademark of "Red Star." Meanwhile, in 1889, Japan Brewery Co., Ltd. (presently Kirin Brewery Co., Ltd.) started using the trademark of "Kirin" (a legendary Chinese animal with a single horn, a deer-like body, horse-like hoofs, and an ox-like tail) and, in the same year, Japan Beer Brewery Co., Ltd. in Mita, Tokyo, started selling Ebisu beer. Then, in 1892, Osaka Beer Brewing Company (presently Asahi Breweries, Ltd.) started using the trademark of "Asahi" (rising sun). Hinode Beer Company in Osaka also used a similar trademark with the design of "Asahi" that was bought from Ishikawa Beer Brewery after its discontinuation of the beer business. Consequently, Osaka Beer Brewing Company and Hinode Beer Company battled in court over rights to the trademark.

trademark
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