Built upon request of one of the Daimyo (vassals of the Shogun), the Ariga brewery was created in 1774 in Kamanoko, a village then in the samurai domain of the Echigo Takada clan. As the brewery went on, it focused on passing down its tradition and local specificities. Ariga is also famous for producing Makgeolli, a milky, off-white, and lightly sparkling rice wine that originates from Korea.