Yomeishu Seizo Company, Limited

Yomeishu Seizo, Co., Ltd. (養命酒製造株式会社) is a pharmaceutical manufacturing company that is headquartered in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. It manufactures and sells traditional medicated liquor called "Yomeishu" and is known as one of the oldest companies in the world.

History of the company

History of Yomeishu

Yomeishu (養命酒) is a traditional Japanese medicinal liquor an alcoholic beverage for medicinal uses and is found to be the oldest pharmaceutical product in Japan since 1602.

According to the legend remaining in the manufacturer, Sokan Shiozawa, who was the village head of the Shinshu Ina-gun Ogusa area (now Nagano Prefecture Kamiina-gun Nakagawa village Ogusa), rescued an old man who had fallen in the snow. After this episode, the old man became one of the retainers of Shiozawa family for three years. When he leaves Shiozawa family, he taught Sokan Shiozawa how to make medicinal sake in thanks for the rescue. This is the origin of Yomeishu.

Production started in 1602 under the name "Yomeishu". In 1603, it was presented to the shogun, Ieyasu Tokugawa, and at that time Shiozawa was allowed to use the sign of "Flying Dragon (飛龍: Hiryu)." It is said to be the first registered trademark in Japan.

There is a record that Ako Roshi (The main caracters of the story of Forty-seven Ronin, Chūshingura) was drinking Yomeishu. Also, Yomeishu has appeared in the novel published in 1774, "Anecdote of Foreign Country Wasobyoje". It was manufactured at the Tenryu-kan of the Shiozawa clan for hundreds of years, and in 1923 Shiozawa family made a company organization.

Initially sold Yomeishu in earnest in Tokyo in 1930 did not sell at all. From the alcoholic beverage dealers in Tokyo who tasted prior to entering, it was said that they were laughed at "what can be sold like this?" However, as a result of continuing steady advertising activities, sales in Tokyo in 1963, 33 years later expanded to about 80 times of the first year of launch.

It became known outside of Japan that the Japanese navy general, Isoroku Yamamoto, loved Yomeishu and he brought some bottles of Yomeishu with him to join the London Naval Treaty with Ambassador Reijirō Wakatsuki. After that, it became to be exported to China, Malaysia, Singapore, Brazil etc. In Thailand, there is "Yahtree", which is very similar in taste and efficacy to Yomeishu.

It also became popular as a nourishing tonic for a child with weak constitution for a while after world war II. In addition to placing advertisements in cartoon magazines for boys and girls, there were also times when we sold them with car toys etc.

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