Fukuda Shuzo

Fukuda Shuzo Co., Ltd. is the westernmost sake brewery on the Japanese mainland, founded in 1688 (Genroku 1) in Shijiki-cho, Hirado City, Nagasaki Prefecture, after receiving a brewing license from the Hirado domain. The brewery began sake production with permission from the lord of Hirado, and its representative brand Fukutsuru is known for having been the official sake of the Hirado domain. The brewery is currently in its 14th generation.
Hirado is a port town that once flourished as Japan's first base for overseas trade, where a distinctive culture was nurtured through exchange with Portugal and the Netherlands. This connection with foreign cultures created Hirado's diverse food culture and has also influenced sake-making.
As founder Fukuda Chojibeimon passed down through 15 generations over 330 years, the motto 'Sake is made with the heart and raised by the wind' has been upheld, with the traditions of sake-making inherited alongside the sea, water, and rice of Shijiki. Brothers work together in brewing, practicing sake-making rooted in the terroir of Hirado.
The representative brands Fukutsuru and Nagasaki Bijin are known as nihonshu that embody the terroir and tradition of Hirado. Nagasaki Bijin in particular won the highest award, the Trophy, in the SAKE Daiginjo category at the 2025 International Wine Challenge (IWC) from among 140 entries, achieving a first for Nagasaki Prefecture. It also won a Gold award at the IWC in 2022, earning high acclaim both domestically and internationally.