辰馬本家酒造（株）

What 辰馬本家酒造（株） does

辰馬本家酒造株式会社 (Tatsuuma-Honke Brewing Co., Ltd.), trading as 白鹿 HAKUSHIKA, is a privately-held traditional Japanese sake brewery founded in 1662 and headquartered at 2-10 Tateishi-cho, Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture. The company produces premium Japanese sake (清酒) under the HAKUSHIKA and Kuromatsu Hakushika brand families using proprietary Miya-mizu (宮水) well water — a natural mineral-rich water source — combined with contracted Hyogo-grown Yamada-nishiki rice. Brewing is conducted at the Rokko-gura (六光蔵) facility completed in 1993, which integrates traditional Tamba toji craftsmanship with modern biotechnology.

The product portfolio spans the full sake quality hierarchy (junmai daiginjo through futsu-shu) plus seasonal limited releases (Hanahiraku spring sake, summer nama-zoshu, hiyaoroshi autumn, fuyuzake winter), premium commemorative daiginjos tied to National New Sake Review Board gold awards, the Hana Kohaku sake-based liqueur series (ume, sakura, yuzu, strawberry), and the ICE SAKE on-ice series. Supporting revenue streams include traditional food products (Narazuke pickles, sake kasu, amazake) and direct-operated experiential retail at HAKUSHIKA Classics (shop & restaurant, opened 2001, renovated 2016) and おず Kyoto – maison du sake –.

The business operates a hybrid go-to-market model combining nationwide third-party distribution through sake shops, liquor retailers, and department stores with direct-to-consumer channels (e-commerce, direct retail, and annual event-driven sales at Nishinomiya Kurabiraki and Ebisu Ichiza). Pricing is unit-based across an extensive SKU range from approximately ¥500 to ¥6,600 per bottle, with limited editions produced in batches of 3,000-15,000 bottles to drive scarcity. Customer segments span mass-market everyday consumers, gift purchasers for traditional Japanese gifting occasions, premium sake enthusiasts, and newcomers to sake accessed via the lower-alcohol liqueur line. The company has received GI Nada-Gogō certification and multiple international awards including five consecutive Monde Selection Gold Awards (2020-2024) and consecutive National New Sake Review Board gold awards (2022-2023).

Name

辰馬本家酒造（株）

Legal name

辰馬本家酒造株式会社

Website

https://hakushika.co.jp

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

辰馬本家酒造株式会社 (Tatsuuma-Honke Brewing Co., Ltd.) is a privately-held traditional Japanese sake brewery founded in 1662 in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, producing the HAKUSHIKA brand portfolio of premium and everyday sake, liqueurs, and seasonal limited editions for nationwide retail, gifting, and direct-to-consumer channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Japanese Sake Brewing

NAICS

Beverage Manufacturing (3121)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Sake, Soju & Other Asian Alcoholic Beverages Producers & Brands (CRADAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Spirits Distilling & Brands (CRADAIAC), Craft Distilleries & Microdistilleries (THAFALAH)

Keywords

• Japanese sake brewing
• Premium sake production
• Sake liqueur products
• Sake retail operations
• Traditional brewery

Headquarters

HQ city

Nishinomiya

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Sake Sales: Core revenue from manufacturing and selling Japanese sake under the 白鹿 (HAKUSHIKA) and 黒松白鹿 brands. Product lineup includes junmai daiginjo, junmai ginjo, daiginjo, ginjo, junmai, honjozo, and futsu-shu (standard sake) categories. Limited-edition seasonal releases and premium award-winning products command premium pricing.
2. Liqueur Sales: Sales of liqueur products including the 花琥珀 (Hana-Kohaku) series - blended liqueurs combining premium sake with fruit juices (plum, cherry, yuzu, citrus, strawberry). These are positioned as accessible drinks for sake newcomers.
3. Food Products: Sales of sake by-products and related foods including 奈良漬 (Nara pickles), 酒粕 (sake lees), and 甘酒 (amazake). These are sold at company stores and through retail partners.
4. Direct Retail & Restaurant: Revenue from company-operated 白鹿クラシックス (HAKUSHIKA Classics) - a combined shop and restaurant located in Nishinomiya. Offers exclusive limited-edition sake, sake tasting experiences, and restaurant services featuring seasonal Japanese cuisine paired with sake.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Tatsuuma-Honke Brewing manufactures and sells Japanese sake (日本酒) under the HAKUSHIKA (白鹿) and Kuromatsu Hakushika (黒松白鹿) brands across categories including junmai daiginjo, junmai ginjo, daiginjo, ginjo, junmai, honjozo, and standard sake. The company also sells sake-based liqueurs (Hana Kohaku / 花琥珀 series), sake-derived food products (Narazuke pickles, sake kasu, amazake), and operates a direct-retail shop and restaurant (Hakushika Classics) along with an e-commerce online shop for nationwide distribution.

Product overview

辰馬本家酒造 is a traditional sake brewery producing the 白鹿 (HAKUSHIKA) brand of Japanese sake (清酒) and related products from its headquarters in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture. The product portfolio is organized as a multi-tiered platform centered on premium sake brands including 千年壽 (Junmai Daiginjo), 黒松白鹿 (KuroMatsu Hakushika) series, 六光年 (Rokkonen) at the premium end, and 純米, 本醸剂, and 普通酒 for everyday consumption. Supporting the core sake range are seasonal/limited sub-brands (花琥珀 liqueur series, 花ひ洛克 spring sake, 夏酒, 冬酒, ICE SAKE, ひやおろし, にごり酒, 初しぼり), food products (奈良漬, 酒粕, 甘酒), and experiential add-on services including the directly managed 白鹿クラシックス shop/restaurant, the 白鹿記念酒造博物館 (Sake Museum), and 白鹿オンラインショップ e-commerce platform. The brewery also runs annual event-exclusive product series such as 白鹿えびす市 and 西宮蔵開 蔵開き限定酒. The company does not offer software products, APIs, or AI-powered features.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 花琥珀: 純米大吟醸酒と新鮮な果汁をブレンドしたリキュールシリーズ。梅・さくらんぼ・ゆず日向夏・いちごなどを展開。
• 六光年
• 千年壽
• 白鹿クラシックス
• ICE SAKE（あいす酒）
• 黒松白鹿
• 白鹿えびす市

Products and services

• HAKUSHIKA Standard Sake Line (白鹿 普通酒, 吟醸, 純米, 本醸造 across grades)
• 千年壽 (Senninju) - Premium Junmai Daiginjo
• 黒松白鹿 本醸造 (Kuromatsu Hakushika Honjozo) series
• 山田錦 (Yamada-nishiki) Sake Series
• 六光年 (Rokkonen) - Premium Junmai Daiginjo
• 花琥珀 (Hana Kohaku) Sake Liqueur Series
• ICE SAKE (あいす酒) Series
• Seasonal Limited Sake Series (夏酒, 冬酒, ひやおろし, 花ひらく, しぼりたて)
• 全国新酒鑑評会 金賞受賞酒 (National New Sake Appraisal Gold Award Commemorative Daiginjo)
• 白鹿 奈良漬 (Hakushika Narazuke Pickles)
• 酒粕・甘酒 (Sake Kasu / Amazake)
• 白鹿クラシックス (Hakushika Classics) Shop & Restaurant
• 酒ミュージアム / 白鹿記念酒造博物館 (Sake Museum)

Quantifiable outcome

• 全国新酒鑑評会金賞 2年連続で受賞 (2022-2023)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, regional and national.

• 白鹿会 (Hakushika-kai Farmers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContract farming partnership with Hyogo Prefecture rice farmers organized under '白鹿会'. Farmers cultivate 山田錦 (Yamada-nishiki) sake rice exclusively for the company using contract cultivation arrangements established since the Meiji era. This partnership ensures consistent high-quality rice supply and maintains the traditional bond between brewers and farmers in the Nada region.
• 中央フードサービス株式会社coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRestaurant management partner for 白鹿クラシックス since the original store opening in 2001. Manages the restaurant operations including menu development featuring sake pairing cuisine, continuing the partnership through the 2016 renovation. Chef Kawana Yasuhiro oversees menu development.
• 灘五郷造假9社 (Nada-Gogō Sake Brewers)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint participation in the 西宮蔵開 regional sake event with other Nada-Gogō brewers (including 寶娘, 白鷹, 徳若, 日本盛, 大関). Collaborates on the '日本酒がうまい!' (Nihonshu ga Umai!) promotional committee to promote sake culture.
• 公益財団法人 白鹿記念造假博物館regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic interest foundation co-located with the company's historic brewery site. Preserves and showcases sake brewing history and artifacts. Linked operationally with 白鹿クラシックス to provide tourism experience combining museum visits with shop and restaurant.
• 西宮市 (Nishinomiya City)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive participant in Nishinomiya City's sake promotion initiatives including 西宮蔵開 annual events. The city's sake revitalization project supports the local sake industry and cultural tourism.
• 独立行政法人酒類総合研究所 · 日本造假組合中央会nationalStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipates in the National New Sake Appraisal (全国新酒鑑評会), Japan's only national-scale sake quality evaluation organized by the research institute and brewing association. 六光蔵 received consecutive gold awards for Reiwa 4 and 5.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Suigei Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. Kochi-based premium sake brewery with strong regional brand recognition and a similar premium-focused positioning to HAKUSHIKA's Rokko-gura output. Comparable craft-scale business model in a different Japanese geography.
• Nanbu Bijin Co., Ltd. Iwate-based sake brewery with a comparable boutique-to-mid-tier product range (junmai, ginjo, daiginjo) and growing international presence. Comparable craft-scale brewery serving a different Japanese region.

Direct peers

• Nihon-Sakari Co., Ltd. Nada-Gogō sake brewery headquartered in Nishinomiya with overlapping product lineup (junmai, honjozo, ginjo, daiginjo) and similar heritage positioning. Competes directly for Nada-district retail shelf space and gifting occasions.
• Kiku-Masamune Sake Brewing Co., Ltd. Nada-Gogō brewery founded in 1659, headquartered in Kobe, with similar centuries-old heritage and a portfolio spanning junmai daiginjo to standard futsu-shu. Directly competes in Nada-distributed premium and gifting sake.
• Ozeki Corporation: Major Nada-Gogō sake brewery founded in 1711, headquartered in Nishinomiya. Operates in the same Nada district, holds GI Nada-Gogō certification, and produces a comparable premium-to-daily sake portfolio under household-name brands — making it the most directly comparable competitor.
• Hakutsuru Sake Brewing Co., Ltd. Nada-Gogō sake brewery founded in 1743, also headquartered in Nishinomiya, with a similar heritage-led brand architecture (Hakutsuru), broad product portfolio spanning premium to daily sake, and parallel reliance on Miyamizu well water — a near-mirror peer in category, geography, and history.
• Shirotayu Kawanishi Shuzo (Kawanishi Sake Brewery): Small Nada-Gogō brewery (Hakushika's regional co-marketing partner during Nishinomiya Kura-biraki events) with comparable boutique-scale heritage positioning and a similar everyday-plus-premium product mix.

Broad incumbents

• Takara Shuzo Co., Ltd. (Sho Chiku Bai): Major Japanese producer of sake, shochu, and mirin under the Sho Chiku Bai brand, with national distribution scale substantially larger than HAKUSHIKA's. Overlaps in the everyday and mid-tier sake segments.
• Gekkeikan Sake Company, Ltd. Large Fushimi (Kyoto)-based sake incumbent founded in 1637, with a broad sake, mirin, and shochu portfolio and significant international distribution. Competes broadly with HAKUSHIKA across standard and premium sake, but at much greater scale.

Emerging players

• Asahi Shuzo Co., Ltd. (Dassai): Yamaguchi-based premium sake brewery behind the Dassai brand. Competes with HAKUSHIKA's Rokkonen and Senninju lines in the junmai daiginjo category and has captured disproportionate international export share — a benchmark for premium sake growth HAKUSHIKA has not matched.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/THS_Sake
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCpQ3-1umJr0WMb1uQR1n7Aw
• Facebookfacebook.com/hakushika.tatsuumahonke
• Instagraminstagram.com/hakushika_official
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/%E8%BE%B0%E9%A6%AC%E6%9C%AC%E5%AE%B6%E9%85%92%E9%80%A0%EF%BC%88%E6%A0%AA%EF%BC%89

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 辰馬本家酒造（株）