Kotegawa Shuzo, Usuki

A brewery in Usuki founded in 1855 and the birthplace of the writer Nogami Yaeko. In a castle town that keeps its Edo atmosphere, its 150-year-old exterior has namako-style tiled walls, registered as a cultural property in 1997. It once made miso and soy sauce in the sake off-season, the forerunner of today's Fundokin Shoyu. Since 1986 it has made black-koji barley shochu, some aged in large earthenware jars. Next door is the Nogami Yaeko Literary Memorial Museum.