Among the 27 Kuma shochu distilleries, Fukano Shuzo is one of the few with a history dating back to the Edo period. Founded in 1823, the current president Seiichi Fukano, is the seventh generation. The first generation, who was a purveyor of Kurume, Fukuoka, moved to what is now Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto, with an eye on the abundance of rice and good quality water, and started making shochu - which was encouraged by the Sagara clan that ruled Kuma, Hitoyoshi at that time.