Fushimi-ku, Kyoto

Coordinates: 34°56′10″N 135°45′41″E / 34.93611°N 135.76139°E / 34.93611; 135.76139CountryJapanRegionKinki (Kansai)PrefectureKyotoFirst official recorded473 ADFushimi City SettledMay 1, 1929Merger with Kyoto CityApril 1, 1931Area61.66 km2 (23.81 sq mi)Population277,858 • Density4,500/km2 (12,000/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+09:00 (JST)City hall address681 Higashigumi-chō, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto612-8511Websitewww.city.kyoto.lg.jp/fushimi/

Fushimi (伏見区, Fushimi-ku) 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 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]

Historical populationYearPop.±%1940 92,714— 1950 105,437+13.7%1960 135,293+28.3%1970 190,569+40.9%1980 257,156+34.9%1990 280,276+9.0%2000 287,909+2.7%2010 284,085−1.3%2020 277,858−2.2%Source: [1]

The following companies have their headquarters in Fushimi:

• Gekkeikan, a manufacturer of sake, plum wine, shōchū, mirin, and amazake[3]
• Kizakura, a manufacturer of sake and beer[4]
• Kyocera, an electronics and ceramics manufacturer[5]
• Murata Machinery, an industrial machines manufacturer[6]
• Shoutoku, a manufacturer of sake[7]

Ryukoku University, Kyoto University of Education, Shuchiin University, and Temple University, Japan Campus Kyoto are based in the area.

The ward has a North Korean school, Kyoto Korean Elementary School (京都朝鮮初級学校).,[8]

• Kyoto Tachibana Junior and Senior High School
  • Kyoto Tachibana Junior High School
  • Kyoto Tachibana Senior High School

• Daigo-ji - UNESCO World Heritage site
• Emperor Kanmu Tomb
• Emperor Meiji Tomb
• Fushimi Castle-Toyotomi Hideyoshi's castle in Kyoto; also known as Momoyama Castle, one of the namesakes of the Azuchi-Momoyama Period of Japanese history
• Fushimi Inari Shrine - top shrine of largest shrine network in Japan
• Gekkeikan Ōkura Memorial Hall - sake brewing museum
• Kyoto Racecourse

• Haruki Murakami - Japanese writer, essayist, marathon runner, award-winning novelist born Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, January 12, 1949.
• Keiyo Aomatsu - Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball player with the Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan's Pacific League
• Kumi Koda - Singer
• Hideki Okajima - Japanese professional baseball pitcher with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks

• JR West
  • Nara Line
• Kintetsu Railway
  • Kyoto Line
• Keihan Electric Railway
  • Keihan Main Line
  • Uji Line
• Kyoto City Subway
  • Karasuma Line
  • Tozai Line

• Keiji Bypass
• Meishin Expressway
• Second Keihan Highway (Daini Keihan Road)

• Media related to Fushimi-ku, Kyoto at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website (in Japanese)