火災ですべてを失った酒蔵　全国に広がる支援の輪　『笹正宗』再建へ　それぞれの思い【福島発】 (26/06/08 19:22)

On June 1, 2026, a fire struck Sasamasamune Sake Brewery in Kitakata City, Fukushima Prefecture, burning down approximately 3,000 square meters of the brewery and warehouses. An estimated 25,000 bottles of sake remaining in the brewery were also destroyed. Having lost everything, including their brewing equipment, a wave of support is now spreading for the brewery's reconstruction. ■ Voices of Support from Sake Fans At a gourmet event held in Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture on June 6th and 7th, people flocked to the Sasamasamune booth. Visitors commented, "It's a famous sake brewery. I'm a little sad that it burned down completely, and I came today hoping for a speedy recovery." A visitor from Kyoto said, "I really want them to do their best. I was determined to say hello, so I went to the Sasamasamune booth first. I'm hoping they can somehow manage to do their best." ■ A Sake Brewery Loved by Everyone Staff from liquor stores in Fukushima Prefecture were at the booth. The sake they were supposed to serve was lost in the fire, so they managed to gather some from liquor stores across the country to prepare it. Munetaro Watanabe of Watanabe Sota Shoten said, "I was doing this while thinking about how much Sasamasamune was loved by everyone, more than I had imagined." ■The feelings of liquor stores connecting customers and sake breweries A donation box has been set up at Echigoya, a liquor store in Fukushima City. President Hiroshi Mizuta said, "We want to cheer people up even a little, and we also want to convey the customers' feelings of 'we want them to rebuild and do their best again.'" The donations collected since the day after the fire have already reached over 60,000 yen. Furthermore, the Sasamasamune sake that Echigoya carries has sold out. President Mizuta said, "I think people are drinking it to show their support, but it sold out in two or three days." President Mizuta said, "We're not exactly acting as a bridge, but we understand the feelings of our customers, and we've conveyed them to the brewery. We're filled with the hope that the brewery will somehow be able to produce truly excellent sake again." Currently, people are continuously visiting the brewery to deliver relief funds. Donations are also being accepted on the Fukushima Prefecture Sake Brewers Cooperative Association's website. According to the association, as of the morning of the 8th, over 6 million yen had already been collected, and the amount is continuing to grow daily. The desire to rebuild "Sasamasamune" is spreading throughout the country.