Shinroku pickle shop and Tanaka sake brewery - Purveyors to Meiji emperor
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| Tanaka “Kimibandai” sake brewery and Shinroku pickle shop in Toride (C)JAPAN a while ago |
Toride City was developed as a post town on Mito highway and river port town along the Tone river. This city is built a relatively recent. In 1603, Ieyasu Tokugawa established Edo shogunate. And then, he assigned his 3 sons to the Tokugawa clan families domains as Owari, Kii, Mito Domain. Thus, in 1680's, the shogunate improved Mito highway, one of branch highways, for convenience connection from Edo to Mito Domain. After these policies, from 1682 to 1698, the shogunate built a new post town, over a village on the closing point of Mito highway and the Tone river, as a rest stop for Mito Domain.
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| Shinroku pickle main shop in Toride, established in 1866 (C)JAPAN a while ago |
In 1710’s, a transporter Shinroku moved to Toride port town. And about 1800, Shinroku’s family established sake brewery. After soon, Shinroku’s brewery started to divert rice wine less, by product of sake, and used vegetables to make “Naraduke” pickle. The trial pickle was well received by neighborhood. At last, in 1866, Shinroku’s family turned their business to pickle manufacturing and selling, and the shop named “Shinroku”.
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| Tanaka sake brewery in Toride, established in 1655, the shop remains today built In about 1790 (C)JAPAN a while ago |
Tanaka sake brewery was established in 1655. In about 1790, after Toride post town was developed, the brewery moved to its current location, the next of Shinroku pickle shop. They could use subsoil water under the Tone river system, and access to their market by Highway and water transport.
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| Meiji emperor in Ushiku, drunk some water from Tanaka sake brewery (Public Domain) |
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| Meiji emperor in Kasama, presented Shinroku pickle by his train, painted by Kazo Tanaka (Public Domain) |
Later in Meiji era, both of these two shop became purveyors to Meiji emperor. First, in December 1884, the Imperial Japanese Army maneuvered in Ushiku, then Meiji emperor went to his maneuvering ground. On the road to Ushiku, Meiji emperor wanted a cup of water. His train thought that sake brewery might have fresh and clean water. Thus, a official ordered Tanaka sake brewery to bring some water for Meihi emperor. The emperor was deeply moved, and gave a sake brand name “Kimibandai” meaning “Long live the monarch” to this brewery. Second, in 1900, when the emperor went to Kasama for inspecting troops, Shinroku pickle was presented as a specialty via governor of Ibaraki Prefecture and Minister of the Imperial Household.
In today, both of purveyors, Shinroku pickle shop and Tanaka sake brewery, still open at their historical shop buildings, adjacent to each other, in Toride.
