1936 — Suntory Establishes Tomi-no-Oka
The founding moment of Suntory's Yamanashi wine operation — the company's entry into commercial wine production that would, over decades, become a pillar of mainstream Japanese wine
What Happened
In 1936, Shinjirō Torii (鳥井信治郎, 1879–1962) — the founder of Suntory (then Kotobukiya) — acquired the Tomi-no-Oka vineyard in Yamanashi Prefecture and established Suntory's commercial wine production operation there. The Tomi-no-Oka acquisition formalized Suntory's entry into a market that until then had been dominated by Mercian's predecessor (Dai-Nihon Yamanashi Budōshu, founded 1879).
Strategic Context
Torii had been pursuing a multi-decade plan to build Japanese capability in Western beverage production. His career began with whisky (Yamazaki Distillery, 1923), continued with various spirits and liqueurs, and the 1936 wine entry was a logical extension of the broader vision.
The strategic logic:
- Yamanashi as the obvious site — Building on the prefecture's existing 1875–1879 viticultural heritage
- Tomi-no-Oka as the specific property — Already-established vineyards on a south-facing site
- Long-term commitment — Suntory's 1936 entry was not opportunistic but part of a generational strategy
What Followed
Suntory's wine business grew slowly but steadily over subsequent decades:
- 1936–1960s — Establishment and gradual expansion at Tomi-no-Oka
- 1960s–1980s — Broader Suntory Wine portfolio development
- 1990s–2010s — Premium-tier Tomi-no-Oka cuvées; international wine import distribution business
- Today — Suntory Wine International is a major Japanese wine company encompassing Tomi-no-Oka production, imported-wine distribution (including various French and California estates), and broader beverage operations
Cultural Position
The 1936 founding established Suntory as the second pillar of mainstream Japanese commercial wine alongside Mercian. The two companies have since dominated mainstream Japanese wine production at scale, with smaller producers (Manns, Sapporo Wines, smaller commercial wineries) operating around them.
Why It Matters
The 1936 Suntory Tomi-no-Oka founding is one of the foundational structural events in Japanese commercial wine history. Without Suntory's commitment, Japan's commercial wine sector would have depended on Mercian alone — a more vulnerable institutional structure. With both Suntory and Mercian operating at scale, the Japanese wine industry developed a more resilient commercial backbone that supported the smaller-domain expansion of subsequent decades.
Details
- Year: 1936
- Founder: Shinjirō Torii (Suntory founder)
- Site: Tomi-no-Oka, Yamanashi
- Significance: Suntory's entry into commercial wine; second pillar of mainstream Japanese wine
- Followed by: Multi-decade Suntory Wine business development