Gekkeikan ─ 380 Years of Fushimi Sake

Soul of the Kura

Soft water rises beneath Fushimi.
It has done so for thousands of years —
before Kyoto was a city,
before the Heian court arrived.

The Okura family began brewing in this water in 1637,
during the second Tokugawa shogun.
The same family still does so —
a kura that has watched fourteen shoguns,
three emperors, two world wars, and one nuclear age.

Characteristics

Founded 1637 in Fushimi by the Okura family.
The oldest continuously operating sake brand in Japan.
Soft Fushimi underground water yields gentle, rounded sake —
the "feminine" Onna-zake, traditionally contrasted with Nada's bolder "Otoko-zake."
Operates a museum showcasing Edo-era brewing — Important Cultural Property.
Now sold in 80+ countries; opened a US brewery in 1989.

Reasons to Visit

壱
Drink Japan's oldest continuous sake brand
A bottle on the shelf when the second shogun ruled.
弐
Tour Gekkeikan Okura Memorial Hall
Edo brewing tools, 380 years of company history, free spring water at the well.
参
Visit on the Jukkokubune boat ride
Wooden boats float through Fushimi's old waterways past brewery walls — 30-minute pilgrimage on water.
四
Pair with Kamo Jinja
Yamashiro's first-rank shrines — both UNESCO World Heritage.
五
Walk Fushimi Sake Quarter end-to-end
Gekkeikan, Kizakura, Tamanohikari, Tsukino-Katsura — eight breweries in one walk.

Tasting Etiquette

Try the Daiginjo cool, the Junmai warm.
Soft Fushimi sake spans both temperature ranges beautifully.
Visit the museum well first.
Tasting the spring water before the sake reframes the bottle.
Pair with delicate Kyoto food.
Yudofu, hamo, kyo-yasai — gentle for gentle.
Buy a wood-cup masu set as souvenir.
Gekkeikan's branded masu cups are a Fushimi classic.
Walk to the Jukkokubune jetty after.
A short boat ride along the brewery walls — Fushimi at its most photogenic.

Visit & Tasting

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Address

247 Minamihama-cho, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto-shi 612-8660

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Access

Keihan Line → Chushojima Station → 5 min walk

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Hours

9:30–16:30

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Closed

Mondays · year-end (mid-Aug)

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Tasting

Memorial Hall ¥600 (incl. tasting)

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Reservation

Walk-in OK

🇬🇧

English

Yes (multilingual brochures)

— Facilities —

🅿️ParkingLimited

🚻RestroomYes

🏛️Museum¥600

🏷️ShopYes

🗺 Directions 🌐 Official Site 📍 Open in Maps 📜 All Breweries

※ Hours, fees and contact details may change seasonally — please confirm on the brewery's official site before your visit.

Complete the Sake Journey

Arrange your visit to Gekkeikan — stay nearby, get there, taste with a guide, or take a bottle home.

* Some links contain affiliate advertising. Commissions support this site's operation.

Signature Labels

Gekkeikan Daiginjo 大吟醸

Daiginjo · 50% polish

The flagship. Soft, balanced, rounded — quintessential Fushimi style.

Gekkeikan Horin 鳳麟

Junmai Daiginjo · prestige line

The brewery's reserve label. Polished, layered — a state-banquet bottle within everyone's reach.

Gekkeikan Tsukinokatsura Antique 月の桂アンティーク

Junmai · long-aged koshu

Aged sake — golden, sherry-toned, rare. From the brewery's reserve cellar.

Pair With Pilgrimage

⛩

Ichinomiya of Yamashiro Province

Kamo Jinja (Kamigamo & Shimogamo)

賀茂神社

The two first-rank shrines of ancient Yamashiro,
UNESCO World Heritage and among the oldest in Japan.
Their sacred Aoi Festival predates the city of Kyoto.
Pay respects to the kami first; then walk to Fushimi for sake.

Visit the Shrine →

Gekkeikan

🏨Stay Near the Kura

🚄Getting There

🍶Sake Tours & Tastings

🍵Sake Vessels & Bottles

Kamo Jinja (Kamigamo & Shimogamo)