Masumi, a nationally admired sake brand, was founded in 1662 in Suwa, where a tradition of precise craftsmanship led the city to become the center of the silk industry. Still today, this attention to detail remains at the heart of the Masumi philosophy. In the 1920's, the brewery fell on hard times. The brewery's president, Masaru Miyasaka, appointed a young, 28-year-old sake prodigy named Chisato Kubota as toji. The two travelled up and down Japan, "knocking on the door of the master and seeking knowledge." This passionate desire to elevate the quality of Masumi sake, combined with their colleagues' willingness to share knowledge, was rewarded in 1936 when Miyasaka Brewing Company won the first of many top honors at the Japan National Sake Appraisal.
Masumi continued on to achieve even greater prominence. In 1946, Kubota, the toji, noticed a uniquely inviting aroma wafting from one of the brewery's fermentation tanks. After requesting the National Research Institute of Brewing to test samples, confirmed that this was a new yeast variety, and designated it as Association Yeast No. 7. Keep in mind, in the world of sake, discovering new yeast is like discovering a new species of a dinosaur; it is a result of hard work and luck that only a handful of breweries achieve. With its gentle, pleasing aroma and ease of use, No. 7 soon spread beyond Nagano Prefecture. Today, it is used by more than half of the breweries in Japan. In 2002, Masumi released a redolent, old-style sake with an insouciant 21st-century attitude called "Nanago" (No. 7) in tribute to the famous yeast that changed the sake world. It is to Masumi what No. 5 was to Coco Chanel. Masaru Miyasaka often said “don’t make sake that grabs the attention momentarily with unusual flavors or strong aromas; make sake that is so well-balanced and easy to drink that you hardly notice it until the bottle’s empty and you find yourself calling for more.” Masami continues to aim for sake that one never tires of and that always has a place at the dinner table.
