The Family Business Network is an organization that provides a "place for exchange and learning" for those involved in family business.

Dear FBN Japan Members,

Thank you very much for your continued understanding and support of FBN Japan’s activities.

We are pleased to announce a special collaborative event with the 100-Year Management Research Organization, chaired by Professor Toshio Goto. We will participate in its 118th Online Research Meeting.

Our guest speaker will be Mr. Yusuke Shiino, Chairman of Kanai Shuzo Co., Ltd., the only sake brewery in Hadano City, Kanagawa Prefecture. The company was founded in 1868 (the first year of the Meiji era).

Kanai Shuzo was founded in the first year of the Meiji era by a woman named Riki Sano. Using the pure underground water from the Tanzawa mountain foothills as its brewing water, the brewery has continued producing sake, particularly its signature brand Shirasasa Tsuzumi. It has also maintained a close relationship with Shirasasa Inari Shrine in Hadano and has developed as a sake brewery deeply rooted in the local community.

However, the company faced a serious crisis due to the decline in demand for sake and the deterioration of its business caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021, the sake brewing business was separated and Kanai Shuzo Co., Ltd. was established. In the same year, Kujira Capital, an investment fund specializing in supporting the digital transformation and revitalization of small and medium-sized businesses, acquired the sake brewing business. Mr. Hiroyuki Sano, the sixth-generation member of the founding family, became President and Representative Director. Under his leadership, the company pursued business revitalization through digital initiatives, including launching an e-commerce site, utilizing social media, and undertaking a rebranding strategy.

In January 2023, the shares were transferred from Kujira Capital to Cocohada LAB Co., Ltd., a local company working to revitalize the Hadano community. Mr. Yusuke Shiino, a young local entrepreneur with no previous experience in sake brewing, took over the management.

While the sixth-generation member of the founding family remained as President, Mr. Shiino became Chairman and took the lead in managing the company. Thus began a new phase of business revitalization through third-party succession.

Under Mr. Shiino’s leadership, Kanai Shuzo has adopted the vision of becoming “a sake brewery open to the local community” and “a sake brewery that brews the future.” The company has been transforming itself into a business that grows together with the local community while preserving its traditional craftsmanship. Initiatives include a brewery festival, the “Mirai-zake” project using locally grown Hadano rice and local water, new brands such as Kurozasa, and the development of craft liqueurs.

At this research meeting, we will explore how a sake brewery with more than 150 years of history chose third-party succession, moved from revitalization through an investment fund to succession by a local company, and succeeded in balancing tradition with innovation.

Mr. Shiino will share his experience and insights into third-party succession at long-established companies, collaboration with local communities, and business revitalization.

We sincerely hope that you will join us.

Details

Date & Time: Tuesday, September 15, 2026, 18:00–19:30 JST

Venue: Zoom Webinar
Advance registration is required. Registered participants will receive a participation URL. If you do not receive the email, please contact the secretariat.

Schedule

18:00 – Opening and introduction of the purpose of the meeting by the Secretariat

18:05 – 100-Year Company Talk Session

19:25 – Closing remarks and questionnaire

19:30 – End of the meeting

Guest Speaker – 118th 100-Year Management Research Meeting

Mr. Yusuke Shiino
Chairman and Representative Director
Kanai Shuzo Co., Ltd.

Registration

Registration Form – 118th 100-Year Management Research Meeting

When completing the registration form:

• Under “Affiliation/Category,” please check “Non-member (introduced by an organization-related person).”
• Under “Introduced by,” please enter “FBN Japan.”