Kurokirishima" is a shochu that can be found in almost any store (or so I believe). It is a sweetpotato shochu liqueur that is well known throughout Japan. I myself drink it at restaurants, and recently I often buy a pack of it and drink it at home. I think it is a versatile syochu liqueur that can be drunk as a mealtime drink or on its own.

In order to discover the roots of this famous shochu, I visited the Kirishima Shuzo factory where it is made. In this article, I would like to introduce three things that surprised me.

It is not in Kagoshima, but in Miyazaki.

(That's where it is! (Leave aside for the moment your temptation to say, "Oh, that's it! I've been taking care of you every day, but I really didn't know that).

Speaking of potato shochu, Kagoshima Prefecture has a strong impression in Kyushu. And "Kirishima" reminds us of Kirishima City in Kagoshima Prefecture. In other words, I had always assumed that the Kirishima Shuzo brewery, which bears the name Kirishima, was located in Kagoshima Prefecture. In fact, however, the company has been headquartered in Miyazaki Prefecture for nearly 100 years since its establishment.


The company's headquarters and factory are located in Miyakonojo City, Miyazaki Prefecture, about an hour's drive southwest of Miyazaki Airport, on the border with Kagoshima Prefecture. Of the four factories, a tour of the Shihidaso factory is available free of charge (reservations required). It is quite impressive to see the raw materials being processed one after another and fermenting in a large tank.


The main ingredient of sweet potato shochu is white.

The main ingredient of sweet potato shochu is, of course, sweet potatoes. Kogane Sengan" sweet potatoes are also used in the company's shochu, but the skin is not purple but white. It looks like a potato.


I was specially allowed to try a freshly steamed one. It still looked like a potato, but the cross section showed the color and fibers of a sweet potato. The texture was just like a sweet potato. On the other hand, the taste is different from that of a baked sweet potato, and is not as sweet. It was a strange sensation.


Kogane-Senkan is rich in starch and is one of the best varieties for making shochu. It is said that it is rarely sold in the general market, but if you find it somewhere, you should try it. It is said to be more suitable for cooking than for confectionery.