Nada-Gogō


Nada-Gogō are five area-based groupings of sake breweries in the cities of Kobe and Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. It is the largest sake producing region in Japan, with breweries in the area accounting for just over one quarter of the sake production in the entire country.

History

Records show that sake production first started in Nada nearly 700 years ago, in 1330.
However, the beginning of Nada sake's rise to popularity is often said to be when Bunzaemon Zakoya moved to the area from Itami City and started a brewery there during the Kan'ei period. The rise of Nada's sake coincided with the rise of the Tokugawa shogunate, which had barrels of sake shipped to Edo aboard ships.
Many breweries in the region were heavily damaged in the Great Hanshin earthquake in 1995, but most have recovered and continue to produce sake.

The Five Villages

Nada's sake breweries are divided into five gō. These are:
Nada's sake has four distinct characteristics that make it unique from sake produced in other regions.