Fushimi-ku, Kyoto and Gekkeikan

Fushimi (伏見区 Fushimi-ku^?) is one of the eleven wards in the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan.

Sights:

• Fushimi Inari Shrine – top shrine of largest shrine network in Japan
• Daigo-ji – UNESCO World Heritage site
• Gekkeikan Ōkura Memorial Hall – sake brewing museum 

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 the Teradaya, an inn at which Sakamoto Ryōma was attacked and injured about a year before his assassination.

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 greatest area of Japan in terms of sake production,^[1] and is where the sake company Gekkeikan was founded.^[2]

Gekkeikan (月桂冠株式会社 Gekkeikan Kabushikigaisha^?) is a Japanese manufacturer of sake based in Fushimi, Kyoto, Japan. Founded in 1637 by Rokurouemon Okura, in Fushimi,^[1] it is one of the world's oldest companies. The name of the company literally means "laurel wreath".
Today, Shuchiin University is based in the area.