Hayashi Shuzō Brewery is located on Kurahashi-jima, an island in the Seto Inland Sea which belongs to Kure. Once an important strategic naval point, it previously served as the gateway to Kure and was home to many breweries owned by waterside traders.

The brewery was founded in 1806, and its sake was given the name Mitani Haru (“spring of the three valleys”) by the foremost Confucian scholar at the time, Kozan Sakai. Featured on the label is calligraphy by Itsu-an Rai, the eldest son of famed Confucian scholar Sanyō Rai.

Mitani Haru is a rare and limited sake: the brewing method takes approximately one month and remains unchanged since the founding of the brewery, with only 5,000 bottles (1.8 liters each) produced. Every step of the process is done by hand, from filling the bottles to labelling them.

At the very first Japan Sake Awards held by the Ministry of Finance in 1907, their sake won second place in excellence. Brewed with spring water that flows at the granite level, Mitani Haru is a delicate and slightly dry sake sure to please all kinds of palates.