Tsunan Sake Brewery Cheers University of Tokyo Homecoming

TOKYO, JAPAN, November 8, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- Tsunan Sake Brewery served its GO GRANDCLASS Uonuma Koshihikari Edition and other premium sakes at the 25th University of Tokyo Homecoming Day on October 17, 2026, as the university approached its 150th anniversary. The event, held on the Hongo Campus, was part of a series of activities marking the 20th anniversary of koji mold being named Japan's "national fungus" by the Brewing Society of Japan in 2006.

Tsunan Sake Brewery, based in Tsunan, Niigata Prefecture, participated in the UTokyo Kuramoto-kai tasting, which featured 18 breweries. The brewery showcased three of its sakes: GO GRANDCLASS Uonuma Koshihikari Edition, Tsunan Ai, and GO VINO. GO GRANDCLASS Uonuma Koshihikari Edition is a junmai daiginjo made from Uonuma Koshihikari rice, polished to 50% of its original weight and matured at low temperature. Tsunan Ai is a ginjo that received an Excellence Award at the Kanto-Shinetsu Regional Taxation Bureau Sake Competition in 2025. GO VINO, a junmai with a fruity character, won a Double Gold award at the Milano Sake Challenge 2024.

Kengo Suzuki, President and Representative Director of Tsunan Sake Brewery, attended the event in person. Suzuki, who graduated from the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Agriculture in 2003 and earned his doctorate in agriculture from the same institution in 2016, brought a unique perspective to the brewing process. He also holds a doctorate in medicine from Kitasato University and is a co-founder of Euglena Co., Ltd. At the event, DJ Kamoshitaro supported the brewery by introducing its sake to visitors.

The University of Tokyo, founded on April 12, 1877, will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2027. UTokyo Kuramoto-kai, formed in 2013, aims to foster collaboration among breweries with ties to the university. The group held a tasting titled "A Toast to UTokyo's 150th Anniversary" in June 2026, followed by the Homecoming Day event. The tasting took place along the ginkgo avenue, with a booth in front of Yasuda Auditorium. Visitors were able to taste the sakes and engage with brewery representatives.

Suzuki's approach to brewing includes the use of Smart Brewing, an innovative system that employs data and generative AI to support the judgment of toji (master brewers). In 2026, the brewery presented an in-house app at the 31st Niigata Prefecture sake brewing technology conference. Suzuki also spoke at the 78th Annual Meeting of the Society for Biotechnology, Japan, and at the 15th Lecture Meeting of the Kansai Joyukai, an association of sake brewing engineers. The brewery has used the Smart Brewing system since December 2023 and is developing Super Smart Brewing to simulate the impact of rice, water, and temperature conditions on the finished sake.

In September 2026, Tsunan Sake Brewery launched GO UONUMA SPARKLING, a sparkling sake made from 100% Uonuma Koshihikari. The brewery's brand concept, "Brew for Future," reflects its commitment to supporting nature, the local community, and technology. Snowmelt supplies the brewery's water, winter conditions help keep the brewery cold, and local farmers grow its rice. The brewery aims to support local farming by using table rice to make premium sake.

The brewery's expansion efforts include participation in the Taipei Fine Wine Exhibition in Taiwan and hosting pairing events at Nodoguro in Portland, Oregon, and Shiku Sushi in Seattle, Washington. In early 2026, Tsunan Ai: Blue was introduced in the Portland area. In February, Suzuki visited Bell Living Lab in Bandung, Indonesia, a company that makes a leather-like material from coffee waste through fermentation. In Japan, the brewery opened tablericesake.com, a website that explains Premium Table Rice Sake in 12 languages, in May. In June, its junmai daiginjo GO TERRACE won a Gold award at the Tokyo Sake Challenge 2026. In October, a Premium Table Rice Sake exhibit was opened in Lunar Brewery, its virtual brewery on the metaverse platform metatell.

The event at the University of Tokyo Homecoming Day was a significant milestone for Tsunan Sake Brewery, allowing it to connect with other breweries and introduce its premium sakes to a wider audience. The brewery's commitment to innovation and tradition, as well as its strong ties to the University of Tokyo, continue to shape its approach to sake-making.