Sanzaemon Murai

Sanzaemon Murai was born in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. After graduating from university, he earned an MBA in International Management in the United States. In 2016, he became the 29th head of Kojiya Sanzaemon and President and CEO of Bio’c Co., Ltd. The company supplies tane-koji (koji starter) to more than 3,000 companies across Japan and to over 40 countries worldwide. He holds a Master of Fine Arts from the Graduate School of Kyoto University of the Arts, and serves as a Director of the Brewing Society of Japan. He is the author of The Liberal Arts of Fermentation (ASA Publishing). In 2025, he was named one of the “25 People Brightening the Future of Food” in the November issue of Forbes JAPAN. He advocates “Kojinomy,” a cross-disciplinary field centered on fermentation that spans brewing science, food technology, history and traditional culture, regional revitalization, and gastronomy. He gives lectures and provides consulting to universities, companies, and local governments.