Collect Stamps as You Go on the Historic Route!! Gekkeikan supports the Historic Route Program Hours: 9:30 16:30 (last admission 16:15) Closed: New Year holidays and Obon period (mid-august). Admission: Adults (400 yen), Children aged 12-17 (100 yen), Children aged 0-11 (free); Door gift included. * Please call us in advance for reservations for group visits. Fushimi, the southern ward of Kyoto City Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum Gekkeikan Sake Company, Ltd. 247 Minamihama-cho, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto 612-8660, JAPAN Head Office Tel: 075-623-2001 Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum Tel: 075-623-2056 Fax: 075-612-7571 Website: http://www.gekkeikan.co.jp/ The legal age for alcohol consumption is 20. Drink responsibly. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy or when breastfeeding can harm infants. Do not drink and drive.
Experience the History of Sake-Brewing in Fushimi Horikawa, the outer moat of Fushimi Castle, is lined with willow trees. This part of Fushimi is home to several white earthenwalled sake breweries. Walking the streets, one notices the distinctive aroma of rice being steamed, and the fermentation of the moromi main mash. These are the characteristic sights, sounds and smells of this famous sake-brewing neighborhood. The Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum opened in 1982 and displays invaluable sake-brewing equipment and materials related to the history of sake production in Fushimi. Visitors can follow the process for manufacturing sake as explained through the exhibited tools a representative portion of the 6,120 pieces that have been designated as Tangible Cultural Assets by the City of Kyoto. The chant of the sake-makers, which workers traditionally sung during sake-making, can be heard in the museum, reliving the atmosphere of the sake brewery. Fushimi is a historical stage for the late-edo Period. Nearby are: remains of the Terada-ya Inn, where Ryoma Sakamoto once stayed; Gokonomiya Shrine, the base of the Satsuma Militia during the Battle of Toba-Fushimi; and the remains of the Fushimi Magistrate s Office, where the Shogunate stationed their forces to corner the Satsuma Militia.
Everything Starts with the Water of Fushimi Jiemon Okura moved from Kasagi, the southern part of Kyoto, to Fushimi to found his sake brewery in 1637, during the reign of the third-generation Tokugawa Shogun, Iemitsu. Fushimi, known for its excellent water, grew into a considerable castle town ever since Toyotomi Hideyoshi commissioned the construction of Fushimi Castle, developing into something of a river transportation hub, with access to both central Kyoto and Osaka. The start of sankin-kotai, the alternate-year residence of Daimyo feudal lords in Edo, meant that they required places for their retinue to stay while on the move Fushimi experienced a boom in its boathouse construction, as well as timber and transportation wholesale industries, becoming a lively, exciting riverside trading town and stopover. Jiemon Okura established his sake brewery named Kasagiya in Fushimi Minamihama, in front of the bashaku cargo carriers, and called the first sake produced Tama no Izumi (Jewel of the Fountain). The name Gekkeikan, symbolizing victory and glory, was first used in 1905. Gekkeikan, which bloomed from Fushimi, established Gekkeikan Sake (USA), Inc. in 1989 for the manufacturing and sale of sake, and is now a well-loved Japanese sake brand in Asia and Europe. History of Gekkeikan 1637 Sakamizu, the famous Fushimi water that continues to well up today. Founder, Jiemon Okura, moves from Kasagi village (present Kasagi-cho, Soraku-gun, Kyoto) to Bashaku-mae in Fushimi, and opens his brewery. Business name: Kasagiya ; Sake brand: Tama no Izumi (Jewel of the Fountain) 1868 The Battle of Toba-Fushimi. The home of the Okura family and the sake brewery emerged unharmed. 1901 Beginning of exports of sake to Honolulu, Hawaii. 1905 1909 1911 1961 1987 Gekkeikan (Crown of Laurel) is registered as the new brand name. Okura Sake Brewing Research Institute (present Gekkeikan General Research Institute) established. Sale of bottled sake with no added preservatives, a first in the industry. Completion of Otegura Brewing Plant (present No 1. Brewing Plant), Japan s first all-season sake-brewing plant. Okura Sake Company, Ltd. renamed Gekkeikan Sake Company, Ltd. in commemoration of the 350th anniversary of establishment. 1989 Gekkeikan Sake (USA), Inc., established. 2011 Gekkeikan (Shanghai) Trading Co., Ltd. established in China.
Exhibition Room I (Tools of the Trade) Courtyard Panels and displays of tools of the trade guide visitors through the sakemaking process. The space between the Museum and the Uchigura. The lodgings of the chief brewers at the sake brewery still remain. Exhibition Room II (Materials/Assets) Inner Garden Compilation of products, advertising materials, photographs and other important assets from the Meiji and Taisho Periods. The garden inside the Museum features a very elegant construction, and welcomes visitors at the end of their visit. Museum Floor Map Payment Counter Recreation of the payment counter at the Kasagiya during the Meiji Period.
Gekkeikan Sakekobo: Mini-Brewery Sake Tasting and Museum Shop Inside the Uchigura, next to the Okura Sake Museum, is the Gekkeikan Sakekobo, a mini-brewery where sake can be manufactured all year round. With an annual production volume of 40 kiloliters of sake, this is roughly the same as the scale of the Kasagiya brewery back during the founding years of Gekkeikan. Here, the fermentation of the moromi main mash can be viewed from behind the glass. Well-stocked with limited-edition Okura Museum products, as well as nara-zuke pickles, sake-manju cakes and sake lees (seasonal), etc. Pick up a memento of your visit, or souvenirs. * (Processes such as steaming the rice and preparation work happen on an irregular basis and cannot be witnessed all the time). Prior reservations are required for a tour of the Sakekobo please call Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum (Tel: 075-623-2056) to inquire the day before your visit. After your visit, enjoy a tasting, in the lobby, of 3 of our sake products: Retro-Bottle Ginjoshu, Tama-no-Izumi Daiginjo and Plum Wine (Umeshu). Retro-Bottle Ginjoshu 720ml bottled Alcohol by volume: 16% Sweet, rich taste Kasagiya Yamadanishiki Daiginjo 720ml bottled Alcohol by volume: 16% Slightly dry and crisp Tama-no-Izumi Daiginjo 720ml bottled Alcohol by volume: 14% Slightly dry and crisp
Enjoy a Stroll Around Fushimi Fushimi is one of the places where Ryoma Sakamoto spent some time during his eventful life. The Terada-ya, where Ryoma was attacked, is situated on the other end of the same street as Gekkeikan. Ryoma also has a connection with Gekkeikan as the Fushimi Residence of the Satsuma Clan, where he stayed to recover from wounds, would later became the Gekkeikan Taishogura Brewery. Ryoma may well have penned his famous letter to his sister Otome while sipping some Gekkeikan sake and pondering the future of Japan. Later Fushimi became a battleground and bore witness to the savage Battle of Toba-Fushimi. A stroll around Fushimi transports you back to the end of the Edo Period and the important events that shaped history. M A. Site of the Fushimi Residence of the Satsuma Shimazu Clan (stone marker), present-day Matsuyama Shuzo (Gekkeikan affiliate company) B. Location of a wooden hut where Ryoma once took shelter (stone marker) C. Location of the Battle of Fushimiguchi (stone marker) D. Site of the Fushimi Residence of the Choshu Clan (stone marker) E. Terada-ya Inn and its former site F. Scenery of Sake Breweries: Gekkeikan Uchigura Sake Brewery Built in 1906, this brewery faces the inner courtyard of the Museum. Inside is a mini-brewery, the Gekkeikan Sakekobo. G. Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum Built in 1909. H. Main house of the Okura Family (not open to public) Built in 1828, this site is where Jiemon Okura founded his first sake brewery. I. Fushimi Yumehyakushu The former headquarter building of Gekkeikan. Currently this building is being used as a souvenir shop and tea room. J. Site of the Fushimi Residence of the Tosa Clan (stone marker), in front of the Gekkeikan Information Center K. Site of troop station for the Aizu Clan (Fushimi Mido) (stone marker) L. Site of the former office of the Fushimi Magistrate (stone marker) M. Gokonomiya Shrine N. Scenery of Sake Breweries: Horikawa River is an outer moat for Fushimi Castle and is connected to Uji River which in turn leads to Yodo River.