Kizakura Kappa Country: Water Spirits, Shiragiku Spring and Craft Sakes
Why is it significant?
Step into the lively open courtyard of Kizakura Kappa Country, where the playful spirit of Japanese folklore meets centuries of brewing expertise.
Key Facts
| Place | Kizakura Kappa Country: Water Spirits, Shiragiku Spring and Craft Sakes |
|---|---|
| Address | 228 Shiomachi, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto 612-8046, Japan |
| Geo Coordinates | 34.93180, 135.76000 |
| Part of Walk | Kyoto: Fushimi Sake Cellars, Historic Port Canals and Samurai Inns |
| Generated | Generated |
Step into the lively open courtyard of Kizakura Kappa Country, where the playful spirit of Japanese folklore meets centuries of brewing expertise. Around the plaza, charming statues and illustrations depict the kappa, the mythical green water sprite of Japanese legend, recognizable by its turtle shell, webbed hands, and water-filled dish on top of its head. In the center of the courtyard stands a stone fountain fed by the famous Fushisui spring, an ancient subterranean water vein. The fresh, crisp smell of brewing yeast, hops, and roasted barley drifts from the adjacent craft brewery taproom, welcoming visitors with cheerful local warmth and festive hospitality.
Kizakura was founded in nineteen twenty-five and became a household name across Japan through its humorous animated television commercials in the nineteen fifties and sixties, which depicted cute kappa creatures enjoying cups of sake. The company established this cultural hall to explore both the rich folklore of water spirits and the technical science of sake fermentation that makes Fushimi unique in world brewing history, drawing visitors from many lands.
In the Folklore Museum gallery, you can view dozens of antique scroll paintings, woodblock prints, and historical artifacts documenting the myth of the kappa across five centuries. Kappa were both feared as mischievous pranksters who drowned horses and venerated as divine water guardians who ensured bountiful rice harvests and pristine, unending spring water for local farming and brewing communities.
Fill a small cup at the Fushisui fountain to taste the water: with its perfectly balanced calcium and magnesium levels and zero iron content, this water prevents oxidation, allowing delicate sake yeasts to ferment with crystal clarity. Generations of brewmasters have guarded these pristine subterranean aquifers, ensuring that every drop drawn from the well retains its legendary clarity and natural mineral sweetness.
Exit the courtyard and walk west down the historic merchant lane toward the wooden facade of Teradaya Inn.