Nishinomiya gō

【English】
Nishinomiya Gō (Nishinomiya area)

One of the areas making up the “Five Regions of Nada” (Nada Go-go), and also used as a term indicating the sake brewery districts of the Hamawaki and Youkai regions of Nishinomiya City. Go (郷, long “o”), means an administrative unit of several villages. When sake brewing first flourished in Nada in around 1770, the area, like Imazu go, was part of the former Muko (武庫) district.

In 1828, the five Go were Lower Nada ( Shimo Nada,下灘), the Western, Eastern and Central districts of Upper Nada ( Kami Nada, 上灘) and Imazu go, and Nishinomiya was not included. In 1886, though, Lower Nada was removed and Nishinomiya included, creating today’s Nada Go-go.

The history of sake brewing in Nada begins in 1642 in Nishinomiya, which by tradition is held to have the longest history.

Nishinomiya Go is home to a source of well-water, ideal for brewing, known as Miyamizu. The brewers of Nada used to transport water from the Miyamizu district by oxen-drawn carts or by boat for use in sake brewing.

Labels brewed in contemporary Nishinomiya Go include Hakushika (白鹿), Hakutaka (白鷹), Nihonsakari (日本盛), Ki-ichi (喜一), Kintaka (金鷹), Nadaichi (灘一), Takaramusume (寶娘), Shimabijin (島美人) and Tokuwaka (徳若).

Links to the various breweries are below.

Hakushika：http://www.hakushika.co.jp/

Hakutaka：http://www.hakutaka.jp/

Nihonsakari： http://www.nihonsakari.co.jp/

Ki-ichi：http://www.kiichi-osake.jp/

Takaramusume：http://ohsawashuzo.com/

Shimabijin：http://www.bijinclub-shimabijin.co.jp/