Tokiwai Spring
The spring below Kinshi Masamune brewery, Tokiwai, has historically been called shizen no megumi, “nature’s bounty,” and inochi no mizu, “the water of life.” Today, almost 140 years after the Kinshi Masamune brewery relocated to Fushimi to take advantage of this natural resource, the spring still produces 70,000 liters of fresh water every hour.
The spring water is rich in calcium and potassium, making it perfect for the production of smooth, gentle sake. The spring water is the same as the water from the spring at Gokōnomiya Jinja Shrine, which is registered as one of the Meisui Hyakusen, or “Japan’s 100 Remarkable Waters,” a list created by the Ministry of the Environment in 1985