Wearing a Shito-daru Barrel to NYFW: Abu no Tsuru Shuzo of Yamaguchi Takes on New York

Abu no Tsuru Shuzo, a sake brewery in Abu, Yamaguchi Prefecture (a small town on the Sea of Japan at the western tip of Honshu), took part in New York Fashion Week in September 2026 (Spring/Summer 2027 collections). The brewery appeared in the show of designer Kentaro Kameyama. Sixth-generation owner Ryutaro Miyoshi walked the runway himself, and a shito-daru barrel brought over from the brewery was worn by a local model. It is an attempt to go beyond simply having people drink sake, and to carry the culture of the sake brewery itself to the world in another form.

A celebration barrel, worn as clothing

The shito-daru is a large wooden barrel, familiar from kagami-biraki at Japanese celebrations, a ceremony in which the barrel lid is broken open with a wooden mallet and the sake is shared. Miyoshi carried this barrel himself from Abu to New York. Rather than presenting tradition as it is, he combines it with contemporary fashion, hoping to create a new way in for people unfamiliar with sake. The show appearance came about through an introduction from Shin Okamoto, head chef of the restaurant La BOMBANCE.

A brewery revived after 34 years of closure

Abu no Tsuru Shuzo was founded 125 years ago, but the head before the previous one stopped brewing, and the brewery stayed closed for 34 years. Miyoshi studied architecture at a university in Tokyo and worked as a designer at a major apparel company, creating shop interiors. At 24 he left the company and trained at four breweries in Chiba, Saitama, Gifu and Aomori. He returned to his family home in 2014, began brewing himself in 2016 and launched the Miyoshi brand. That a brewer from the world of design ended up on the runway could be seen as a natural course of events.

Miyoshi, recognised in Europe too

Miyoshi has also done well in European competitions. In 2021, at CINVE, an international wine and spirits competition in Spain, the junmai ginjo Miyoshi Green won a gold medal and the junmai Miyoshi Blue a silver. At the MILANO SAKE CHALLENGE held in Italy in 2022, Green won a gold medal. It was also named best in the category judging compatibility with food, paired with a caprese of tomato and mozzarella. Blue won the same award paired with tiramisu.

Junmai sake is made only from rice, rice koji and water. Junmai ginjo is a type in which the outer part of the rice is polished away to 60% or less of its original weight and the sake is fermented slowly at low temperature, and it is known for its fragrant aroma. At the Milan competition, Green was recognised paired with caprese and Blue paired with tiramisu.