Fushimi in Autumn

(40 photos)

Fushimi is one of the eleven wards in Kyoto. The area is blessed with abundant underground water and was previously known as Fushimizu or Fukusui, which refers to water running underground and emerging at a spring and thus is known for Japanese sake brewing. Nearly 40 sake cellars still stand alongside a moat, and the area retains the atmosphere of the Edo Period from 17th to the 19th century. The Gokonomiya-jinja, the shrine of “aromatic water” took the name from its spring which is one of the 100 purest natural water sources in Japan. A popular spot in the area is the Fushimi Inari Shrine, with thousands of torii lining the paths up and down a mountain.

Visitors at Fushimi can cruise the beautiful tree-lined canals of the city on a traditional Japanese-style boats.

The famous figures of japanese history, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu placed great importance on Fushimi, which served as an important strategic base from which to control Kyoto. Teradaya, the inn at which the Sakamoto Ryoma was attacked and injured in 1866 (about a year before his assassination) is well worth a visit.

 

photos: Junko Nagata © Japanbyweb.com