1853 年，正值培里將軍率領黑船抵達浦賀的那一年。當時，鹿兒島阿久根的商人丹宗庄右衛門因犯下走私罪被流放到八丈島。那時的八丈島民主要飲用以雜糧釀造的濁酒（Doburoku）。 庄右衛門在島上見到番薯後，告訴島民在九州人們是用這種植物來釀酒的，於是便從老家運來蒸餾器，向島民傳授燒酎的製作方法。這便是八丈島燒酎產業的起源。正因為這段深厚的歷史背景，在燒酎的專業教科書中，除了鹿兒島與南宮崎之外，伊豆諸島也被列為芋燒酎的重要產地之一。

Upon seeing sweet potatoes on the island, Shoemon told the locals that in Kyushu, this crop was used to brew spirits. He sent for a distillation apparatus from his hometown and taught the islanders how to make shochu, marking the birth of shochu production on Hachijo-jima. Because of this historical legacy, shochu textbooks recognize the Izu Islands as a primary region for sweet potato shochu, alongside Kagoshima and Southern Miyazaki.