The Sake Anatomy › Sake Brand Index › Reijin
No.141 · Brewery Profile
Reijin麗人 · Reijin Shuzo 麗人酒造
Reijin is one of the historic ‘Suwa Five’ breweries clustered in Suwa City, drawing well water fed by more than 150 liters a minute of spring flow off the Kirigamine highlands. Founded in 1789 and renamed Reijin in 1945, it has since branched well beyond sake — into craft beer in 1999 and, in 2021, whisky — while its core sake range stays close to a clean, precisely cut style drawn from Nagano-grown rice.
Who makes Reijin?
Reijin Shuzo, founded in 1789 and renamed Reijin in 1945, is one of the historic “Suwa Five” breweries clustered in Suwa City, Nagano, drawing well water fed by more than 150 liters a minute of spring flow off the Kirigamine highlands. It has since branched beyond sake, into craft beer in 1999 and whisky in 2021.
What does Reijin taste like?
Tagged Elegant & Refined and Dry & Crisp, staying close to a clean, precisely cut style. The standard Reijin Junmai Ginjo rates a restrained 2/5 across all four axes; the Reijin Junmai Daiginjo Yamada Nishiki Genteishikomi, a limited brewing using Hyogo-grown Yamada Nishiki, opens up to 4/5 aromatic with SMV +2.
Which bottle should you try first?
Start with the Reijin Junmai Ginjo, described as a clean, precisely-cut ginjo representative of one of Suwa’s historic Five Kura, before trying the limited Junmai Daiginjo Genteishikomi.
How does Reijin compare to other Nagano breweries?
Nagano also lists Masumi, tagged Elegant & Refined, Daishinshu, tagged Elegant & Refined and Dry & Crisp, and Nanawarai, tagged Rich & Umami and Dry & Crisp. Reijin shares its exact Elegant & Refined and Dry & Crisp pairing with Daishinshu, distinguishing both from Nanawarai’s richer style.
Frequently asked questions
What are the “Suwa Five”?
A cluster of historic breweries in Suwa City, Nagano; Reijin is one of them.
Has Reijin Shuzo always made only sake?
No — it branched into craft beer in 1999 and whisky in 2021, alongside its core sake range.
When was the brewery renamed Reijin?
In 1945; it was founded earlier, in 1789.
The bottles
Reijin Junmai Ginjo麗人 純米吟醸
爽酒 Soshu · Light & Smooth“A clean, precisely-cut ginjo from one of Suwa’s historic Five Kura.”
Reijin Junmai Daiginjo Yamada Nishiki Genteishikomi麗人 純米大吟醸 山田錦限定仕込
薫酒 Kunshu · Fragrant“A limited brewing using Hyogo-grown Yamada Nishiki.”
Reading the bars: an editorial flavor reading (0–5) of each bottle — Dry→Rich, Light→Full, Subtle→Aromatic, Low→High acidity — not laboratory values. The colored badge is the SSI four-type classification (薫酒 Kunshu · 爽酒 Soshu · 醇酒 Junshu · 熟酒 Jukushu). SMV and acidity appear only where the brewery publishes them.
Sources: reijin.com · naganosake.jp · ja.wikipedia.org