A brewery expressing the local culture of Shonan, a town by the sea, through its sake
The brewery is located in the northern part of Chigasaki in Kanagawa Prefecture. It is less than 5km from Southern Beach in Shonan, known as the setting for many songs and stories.
The brewery’s motto is “Drunkenness is the wealth of Japan”.
The brewery has been producing sake for 150 years since its foundation in 1872. It is now the only remaining sake brewery in Shonan. Today, they are attracting fans not only for their sake but also their craft beer.
Their efforts go beyond mere sake brewing. The brewery’s premises are lined with eateries and shops, from the Japanese restaurant Tensei and the Italian restaurant Mokichi Trattoria, to a bakery-cafe and the Okeba Gallery Shop, which displays and sells the works of local artists.
Outside of the brewery premises, there is also the Mokichi Foods Garden, located near Kayagasaki Station, Mokichi Craft Beer in Fujisawa, and in December 2022, Mokichi Kamakura was opened in Hase, Kamakura.
Many of these facilities have reused old buildings, such as a Taisho Era sake storehouse, a relocated 450-year-old traditional Japanese-style house, a wood-constructed barley mill that had been in use since before the war and an old pressure pumping station, creating unique spaces.
Bustling with locals and tourists, the Kumazawa Brewery is truly a centre of local culture. “The presence of the brewery there enriches people’s lives and creates a unique culture. We hope that this culture will mature and be passed on for another 100 or 200 years.” These spaces are the embodiment of their aspirations.
Enjoy your time off with Offshore
The Shonan area, where the Kumazawa Sake Brewery is located, is also famous for its beaches suitable for surfing, with numerous surf shops lining the seafront and surfers often seen riding bicycles loaded with surfboards.
“Offshore” is a surfing term meaning “a wind blowing out to sea from the land”. When the offshore wind blows, the waves are formed into a shape that is ideal for surfing. Our first wish in choosing the name Offshore is that, like an offshore wind, both drink and drinker should feel themselves transported freely towards the outside world. The sea breeze blowing over the Shonan beach is expressed in the sake’s crisp, slightlysaline flavours.
Another side of the naming concept can be found in the word “off” – this is a sake to enjoy on your time off.
Let us help you turn the stresses of daily life “off” and help you get back to your natural, relaxed state. We want you to fully enjoy your “time off” with a refreshing taste of Shonan vibes.
With these wishes in mind, the name “Offshore” was chosen.
Rice, water and brewery, all “Shonan-raised”, combining to make handcrafted sake in collaboration with the local community
The Kumazawa Sake Brewery places great importance on community-based “craftsmanship”. As well as brewing sake that is the pride of the region, they aim to be a place where people are magnetically brought together to drink and create something new. Offshore was created in sympathy with this spirit, which they have upheld ever since their establishment in 1872.
All three key components of Offshore, rice, water and brewery, are “Shonan-raised”. It is a sake that truly expresses the terroir of Shonan to the full.
What’s more, five Mottox employees collaborated on the production of Offshore, each with their own connection to the area, from people who grew up in Shonan to surfing enthusiasts who commute there to surf. The project team was set up to convey the crisp, refreshing taste with a hint of saltiness and acidity produced by the Kumazawa Sake Brewery to the fullest capture the air and charm of their beloved Shonan.
The label design depicts a surfer standing in the sea breeze on a Shonan beach, with a view of Mt. Fuji in the background, a classic Shonan landscape.
Working with local farmers and contributing to the local community
The Kumazawa Sake Brewery makes sake and beer (as well as sausages) using locally grown produce and designs its products in-house. It has already been 20 years they began a project working with local farmers. A “Green Market” is held on the brewery premises, where local farmers sell freshly harvested vegetables and other products on a daily basis. The Kumazawa Sake Brewery believes not only in brewing attractive sake, but also promoting and contributing the local community where the brewery is located.
In 2012, the company opened the “Living Classroom”, a place of learning developed in partnership with other local businesses, and in 2018, it opened the Chigasaki Moana Nursery School on the hill behind the brewery as a daycare centre for brewery employees and neighbourhood children. They are fully committed to contributing to the development of the local community.
