The 3-day Belgian Beer Weekend Tokyo festival brought some 15,000 people to Roppongi, among them many of Japan’s craft-beer brewers and bar operators, there to taste the finest new Belgian imports. Most would consider the event a huge success, but for Konishi Shintarô, this was just another working weekend.

Konishi’s family has been brewing—albeit primarily sake—for 460 years. When I ask him about the weight of that tradition, he smiles, “I feel great responsibility but this is just a natural part of my job. I want to get more people to appreciate beer.” That doesn’t simply mean Belgian beer, but craft beer as a whole. His company brews several varieties of Belgian-inspired beer under the Shirayuki (white snow) name for their line of sake. Although his company is a major importer of Belgian beer, he reiterates what Duvel president Michel Moortgat said in our interview with him: appreciation of Belgian beer will help cultivate appreciation for Japanese craft beer. “If you look at the big picture, I don’t know that craft will ever be mainstream, but it will occupy a big niche and I think it will continue to gain popularity. American craft beer now occupies a big place in the U.S., so I think the same could happen here with Japanese craft.”

Konishi works very closely with Moortgat. They have a long-term relationship and exchange frequent e-mails. But Moortgat made clear, “In Japan, he is the boss. He does everything.” Konishi adds, “Portfolio is very important to us. Belgian beer has many varieties and we have to think very carefully about taste. I think they (Duvel) are very conscious of taste. Our thinking is very close.” Taste doesn’t just end with the beer, however; at their brewery restaurant, Chôjugura, in Hyogo, the pairing of fine food and spirits, both sake and beer, is the heart of the experience.

For his advancement of the appreciation of Belgian beer, Konishi was honored as “Knight in the Order of Leopold” in 1996, and in 1999 as an Honorary Knight by the Knighthood of the Brewers’ Mash Staff. Yes, Konishi is a beer knight. But for his long commitment to laying a foundation for the appreciation of premium-style beer, whether Belgian or Japanese craft, he is a beer daimyo in Japan.

This article was published in Japan Beer Times # () and is among the limited content available online. Order your copy through our online shop or download the digital version from the iTunes store to access the full contents of this issue.