Ozawa Sake Brewery, with a proud history of over 300 years, is located in Sawai, Ome City, in western Tokyo.
Nestled along the clear waters of the Tamagawa River, the area offers stunning scenery, with lush greenery in spring and vibrant autumn foliage in fall.
The name of the place, "Sawai" comes from the abundance of pure and renowned spring water that flows through the area in mountain streams. ("Sawa" means streams in Japanese.)
The brewery’s signature sake brand, “Sawanoi,” also takes its name from this prized water source.
The logo of Sawanoi features a sawagani, a freshwater crab native to Japan. These crabs are often found in the pristine streams and upper mountain rivers.
23rd Generation Kuramoto
The Ozawa family, with a proud history spanning over 300 years, has engaged in various businesses in this region since ancient times, including forestry. Records show that they were already brewing sake in 1702, during the mid-Edo period.
Since 2019, Mikio Ozawa, the 23rd head of the Ozawa family, has served as president of the company. The sake brewed with pristine water nurtured by the abundant nature of Ome is a gift of both the techniques accumulated by predecessors over 300 years and the nature they have carefully preserved. Step out of the brewery, and you will find a true adult paradise where nature and culture, food and history interweave.
two different types of natural springwater (“shikomimizu”)
Ozawa Brewery offers a richly diverse and captivating lineup of sake, from traditionally crisp and dry styles to aromatic, smooth, and elegant varieties—each with its own distinctive character.
The secret lies in the use of two different types of natural springwater (“shikomimizu”) in the brewing process: medium-hard water from the Kura no Ido (Brewhouse Well) and soft water from the Yama no Ido (Mountain Well).
Kura no Ido lies deep within a cave carved into the ancient bedrock of the Chichibu Paleozoic stratum. Visitors can view this remarkable well as part of the brewery tour.
Environmental Initiatives
Water is the lifeblood of Japanese sake, and it is the forest that quietly gathers and nurtures it. Having once operated a forestry business, Ozawa Brewery still owns vast mountain woodlands in the surrounding region. The brewery’s 22nd-generation owner and current chairman, Junichiro Ozawa, worked for a lumber trading company after graduating from university, where he deepened his knowledge of mountains and timber.
Even as parts of the sake brewing process become mechanized, the spirit behind the craft remains unchanged.
"Heaven bestows, the earth nurtures, and people receive and cultivate.” At Ozawa Brewery, this sacred order is never altered.