Nippon Beer Mug

Yebisu Beer had become a household name in Tokyo as a hugely popular Kanto region beer, but in 1903, when the Sapporo Beer Tokyo Brewery began shipping Sapporo Beer, volume was 30% lower than the year prior. Not only had Nippon Beer handed its long-held crown to Osaka Beer, but it was edged out by Sapporo Beer, too, falling into third place. Nippon Beer had suffered a devastating blow, and president Kyohei Makoshi met with Sapporo Beer chairman Eiichi Shibuzawa and Osaka Beer president Komakichi Torii to debate forming an alliance with the Russo-Japanese War on the horizon.