The history of Shirayuki is actually the history of Japan itself. Indeed Shirayuki is Japan's premier Sake with a legendary flavour that has 460 years of history embedded in it.
1. The Dawn of the Japanese Civilization (Jomon-Yayoi Periods). Our
ancestors obviously thought that no harvest festival would be perfect without
Sake. It was considered so special that they offered it to their
gods when they celebrated bumper crops.
2. What kind of Sake did they appreciate in those days? "Home
brew," naturally. Apparently it looked murky and tasted sour, but its
overall quality was superb.
3. During the Yamato Period (when civilian dictatorship was established
in the Nara Area), the government bureaucrats installed the Department
of Sake! (What would it be like if the present day government decided
to establish the same today? )
4. During the Heian Period (800-1000 AD) the Aristocrats loved
parties, romance and above all Sake. Funds for this life style
came from heavy taxes on their peasant farmers.
5. Shinto Priests also brewed Sake for their religious festivals,
and soon brewed it for themselves, calling it "Priestly Sake (Soubou
shu)."
6. During Kamakura-Muromachi Periods (1100-1500 AD) warriors joined
the crowds enjoying the Sake. Enterprising merchants made the most
of the trend and marketed for huge profits in Kyoto.
7. In 1550, the Konishi family (founder,Shinuemon Sohgo) started making Sake on the side whilst selling medicine.
8. The Konishi family invented the "horn cask" as a handy carrying vessel.
9. Legend has it that the "home brew" turned crystal clear when ashes
were accidentally dropped into the murky brew. "Sumi Sake" was
the result of this fluke!
10. Morohaku - the best tasting and aromatic "clear Sake"
in those days was brewed from malted rice, kakemai, and polished
rice.
11. Encouraged by his success with "clear Sake" Sohgo built the family's first brewery called "BANZAI GURA" (GURA meaning brew house) in 1583. Believe it or not, it is still in use today!
12. Hideyoshi Toyotomi - the first prominent unifier of the country's warring states - loved the Sake made in Itami so much that he is alleged to have ordered this area to be kept free of the flames of war.
13. 1600 AD Iyeyasu Tokugawa - the third and most successful
unifier of Japan - transferred the military regime to Edo (Tokyo),
which soon flourished as the administrative center of the country.
14. Itami based Sake was planned to enter the market in Edo. The credit for this scheme should go to Shohan Yamanaka who had been brewing Sake in a small village in Itami. He decided to take the bold step of expanding the market into the new Capital of Japan. His Sake sold like hot cakes amongst the samurai who had been fed up with the poor quality Sake sold in Edo.
15. Shirayuki - how did the name come about? It is said that Sohtaku,
the second heir in the Konishi family, happened to see the snow-capped
Mt. Fuji on his way to Edo to deliver his Sake. He
was so deeply moved by the view that he decided to name his Sake
Shirayuki (Snow White). 
16. Sohha - the fourth heir to Konishi family, was reputedly
a talented poet and maintained close contact with some of the country's
most prominent poets and novelists including Bashoh Matsuo and
Monzaemom Chikamatsu, both of whom loved Sake.
17. Komom Mito, one of the most respected lords and administrative advisors to the shohgun (Military Dictator) in Edo, was also very fond of the Sake produced by the family.
18. The Sake produced west of the Capital was so popular in Edo
that it constituted 80% of the consumed liquor! The Sake delivered
from the Osaka region was called "kudari Sake" meaning "Sake
descended from Osaka." This high level of Sake consumption
had a lot to do with the Tokugawa Regime's Policy to designate
this area for Sake producing.
19. Up until the mid-Edo Era,Sake had been produced throughout the year. However it was discovered that Sake brewed during winter tasted the best so all Sake makers decided to brew Sake only during the winter months.
20. In order to ship the tremendous volume of Sake to Edo, the Konishi family needed big cargo vessels, so they launched a shipping trade.
21. In 1694 the family formed a wholesale Sake trading company in Kayabacho, in Edo, so that they could sell Sake produced by other Sake makers as well.
22. From 1765 to 1779, the family started brewing Sake at Nishinomiya, Nada, in an effort to facilitate their shipping activity and step up the productivity level.
23. Furthermore,the need for expeditious delivery of expeditious delivery
of Sake compelled the family to use cargo vessels called "Tarukaisen"
or barrel vessel. Thanks to the new vessels, shipping to Edo would
take less than a week! In some districts "Tarukaisen" is still
used as a brand name for Shirayuki.
24. The discovery in 1840 of "Miyamizu" (mineral free pure underground
water) by a Sake maker named Tazaemon Yamamura, had a tremendous
impact on the quality of Shirayuki.
25. The 9th heir to the Konishi family was on friendly terms with
Raisanyo, a noted historian, painter and poet in Japan. The latter
became such an admirer of Shirayuki that he even composed a poem
for the Sake called "Eternal joy and fragrance of the Lotus flower,"
which appears on the label that we use today.
26. The Konishi family were able to gauge the social trends very
accurately, and used abrupt changes to their own advantage. During the
18th century the family entered the railway and banking businesses.
They were great philanthropists as well and immediately after the Meiji
Restoration (1868) the family established a Kendo school to rescue impoverished
samurai, a primary school, and constructed the first medical clinic
in the area.
27. Sake played a significant role in bringing the best out of the pre-Meiji political heroes such as Shinsaku Takasugi and Ryoma Sakamoto, when they discussed the need for drastic political transformation in the face of the European challenge.
28. "Ginjoshu" - high quality Sake made from rice polished 60% or less and fermented at a low temperature - became so popular amongst consumers that every Sake brewer competed for quality.
29. Sake has always been adored and appreciated among Japan's foremost
poets and artists. Bokusui Wakayama, one of the nation's eminent
romantic poets during the Meiji Period, was no exception in extolling
the virtues of Shirayuki. Indeed, out of 7,000 poems 200 make reference
to Sake, one of which goes like this "Japan produces Sake
aplenty, but none as palatable as Shirayuki."
30. It was during the Meiji Era that the 1,800ml bottle of Sake came into use. The bottle is still used today.
31. In 1933, the Konishi family grew into a proprietary company.
32. The enamelled cask replaced the traditional cedar cask for storing
Sake - another triumph of technological innovation for the Konishi
family.
33. In 1963, the Konishi Brewing Company built a highly productive
brewery named "NO.2 FUJIYAMA GURA" - the first Japanese Sake plant
capable of making Sake all the year round!
34. In 1967, Asia's greatest rice polishing mill was constructed at Itami.
35. A Sake drinker can now drink Sake anywhere and anytime,
thanks to innovations in Sake containers.
36. "Just squeezed Sake" - Sake that has not quite natured whilst retaining a fresh taste - has become very popular among the Japanese drinkers.
37. "Bottle Top Twisters" were invented for the convenience of their
Sake drinkers.