Kizakura (Kizakura Co. Ltd.) and Kappa Country
A relative newcomer to the Fushimi sake scene, Kizakura was founded in 1925 by Matsumoto Jirokurō (dates unknown) when he split off from his family’s brewery. Unlike most of the breweries in Fushimi today, Kizakura also brews beer.
In 1995 the company established Kizakura Kappa Country in its old brewery buildings to showcase its products and explain the company’s history. Traditional straw-wrapped barrels are stacked at the entrance. These bear the company emblem, Kizakura—literally “yellow cherry blossom.” A garden patio contains tables and features a cherry tree with yellow springtime blooms.
One old sake warehouse has been converted into a small museum that explains the origin of Fushimi sake and displays posters showing how the company has developed since its founding. In the first room, a small diorama illustrates ancient brewing techniques, from the first washing of the rice to the pressing that separates the finished sake from the lees.
In one corner of the room, there is a faucet that draws directly from a natural spring called Fushimizu. All of the beer and sake made at Kizakura is made with this spring water. By tradition, the springs of Fushimi are open to the public.
In the next room an old wooden sake press (sakafune) is on display. On the other side of a glass panel is its twenty-first century equivalent, capable of doing many times the work in a fraction of the time.
