What kind of sake brand is Yoake Mae?夜明け前

05/11/202205/16/2023

The charm of Nagano’s famous sake “Yoake Mae" a sake named after the novelist Toson Shimazaki’s book!!

What do you think of when heard the word “Yoake Mae"?

By the way, what is Yoake Mae?

“Just Yoake Mae. Also, the parable just before the time of hardship and sexual intercourse is over and things turn around." (From Digital Daijisen)
It means that, doesn’t it feel nice?

Introducing this time is sake “Yoake Mae" from Ono Brewery in Nagano Prefecture!. It is a delicious sake produced by Rikizo, who has always been ranked high in the national new sake appraisal and has won the gold medal many times!

Ono Sake Brewery, a historic brewery in Ono, a post town

Origin of “Yoake Mae"

If you like sake, you should drink it at least once

Ono Sake Brewery, a historic brewery in Ono, a post town

Shinshu is a place where water is clean and the cold of winter is severe, making it an ideal place for sake brewing.

Ono, Tatsuno Town, located in the south of Shinshu, is a land that prospered as a post town on the former Nakasendo and Sanshu Highways. It seems that the old Nakasendo is a “phantom" historical road for only 15 years.

Ono Sake Brewery was founded by Shozaemon Ono in the first year of the Genji era (1864) in the post town Ono Inn. It’s a brewery with a long history. Having such a long history, they continues to make delicious sake by taking on new challenges in order to pursue more delicious sake while adhering to the old-fashioned manufacturing method. The brewery’s shown efforts of sake brewing, it is no wonder that it is a talented brewing that has won gold awards at numerous competitions.

Origin of “Yoake Mae"

The name “Yoake Mae" is said to have been taken from a novel by Toson Shimazaki.

・ Ono, Tatsuno-cho, Kamiina-gun, Nagano Prefecture, where Ono Brewery is located, frequently visited the inn of the former Nakayama Road and Sanshu Highway, where Toson Shimazaki’s father, Masaki Shimazaki, deepened exchanges with local national scholars. What is written in

・ The founding of Ono Sake Brewery was just before the Meiji Restoration, which is the “dawn of Japan". It seems that the name “Yoake Mae" was conceived.

In addition, Mr. Kusuo Shimazaki, the son of Toson Shimazaki and the first director of the Toson Memorial Museum, has given permission directly.
Many products of “Before Dawn" are printed with “Before Dawn Chapter" written by Mr. Kusuo Shimazaki for Ono Sake Brewery.

There is also an episode in which he received the name under the promise that “as long as you use this name, don’t forget the spirit of pursuing the real thing even if you turn it into a life." It’s kind of romantic to continue making “real" sake to keep your promise!