The largest sake producing area in the whole of Japan can be found in Hyogo Prefecture, at the seaside of Nishinomiya and in the eastern part of Kobe. This area is called "Nada" and as there are five sake producing districts, one speaks about the "Five Nada Districts" (Nada Gogo). From east to west these are: Imazu, Nishinomiya, Uozaki, Mikage and Nishi.

[Miyamizu wells in Nishinomiya]
There are about 26 breweries in Nada and together they are responsible for one-third of the total sake production in Japan. The first brewer, Zakoya Bunzaemon, moved from Itami to Nishinomiya in the Kanei-period (1624-43). Gradually more followed and the Nada Five Districts came to prominence about 200 years ago in the Edo-period (1600-1867), thanks to the following factors: Technical: the use of water mills to polish the rice used for making sake (other breweries in Japan at that time still milled by human effort, by men stepping on levers) - this in turn was possible thanks to the water power offered by small rivers as the Shukugawa, Ashiyagawa and Sumiyoshigawa, flowing down from the steep Rokko mountains to the sea. Moreover, while milling by human power could only remove up to 8% of the husk and bran, the water mills could take off 20%, reaching a rice-polishing ratio of 80%, which resulted in a better and clearer taste.Nature: the cold wind blowing down from Mt Rokko in winter called "Rokko-Oroshi" created excellent brewing conditions (cold weather helps s...