Upon receiving the commission from Ii Tairo, the feudal lord of the Hikone domain, to brew sake, the company spent two years searching for four essential elements for sake brewing: 1) within the Hikone domain's territory (extending from Nagahama City in the north to Omihachiman City in the south); 2) high-quality rice (the current Yoshida area was once known as Zenta, a region producing Omi rice); 3) abundant brewing water (abundant, high-quality underground water from the Suzuka Mountains); and 4) the ideal environment (the cold region north of the Aichi River in the eastern part of Shiga Prefecture). After two years of searching, the company built a sake brewery in what is now Yoshida, Toyosato Town, and opened its doors in 1854. The current sake brewery still exclusively uses Shiga Prefecture produce, and is cultivated under contract with farmers within a 10km radius. The company also pays close attention to rice polishing, brewing sake with a polishing ratio of 20% to 100% (brown rice) in 10% increments, allowing customers to enjoy both polished and unpolished sake.