is one of the eleven
wards in the
city of
Kyoto, in
Kyoto Prefecture,
Japan. Famous places in Fushimi include the
Fushimi Inari Shrine, with thousands of
torii lining the paths up and down a mountain;
Fushimi Castle, originally built by
Toyotomi Hideyoshi, with its rebuilt towers and gold-lined tea-room; and Teradaya, a boat-lodging at which
Sakamoto Ryōma was attacked and injured. Also of note is the Gokōgu shrine, which houses a stone used in the construction of Fushimi Castle. The water in the shrine is particularly famous and it is recorded as one of Japan's 100 best clear water spots.
Although written with different characters now, the name Fushimi (which used to be its own "town") originally comes from
fusu +
mizu, meaning "hidden water" or "underground water". In other words, the location was known for good spring water. The water of Fushimi has particularly soft characteristics, making it an essential component to the particular type of
sake brewed in Fushimi. This also explains why the area developed as a sake-brewing center in Kyoto. Today, Fushimi is the second largest area in Japan in terms of sake production, and is where the sake company
Gekkeikan was founded.
References
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