Who will enjoy this brewery
- People on a tour of the breweries of Fushimi who want a glass of sake while looking through glass into the brewing room (the brewery’s “Sakagura Bar En”; closed on Wednesdays)
- People who want to buy sake made only from rice, rice koji and water, choosing by rice variety or by seasonal limited edition
- People visiting Kyoto between June and September who want to tour a brewery together with an interpreter (booking required, paid; groups made up only of travelers need an interpreter)
About Fujioka Shuzo
Fujioka Shuzo (藤岡酒造) is a brewery in Imamachi, Fushimi, in the south of Kyoto City. It was founded in 1902. Its brand is “Sookuu (蒼空)”.
The brewery’s sake making, which had once come to a halt, was restarted in 2002 by the fifth generation, 藤岡正章, who serves as toji (the person responsible for the sake making) himself. All the sake it makes is “junmai-shu”, made only from rice, rice koji and water.
The brewery has a sake bar, “Sakagura Bar En (酒蔵Bar えん)”, and a shop. Brewery tours are held only from June to September, by reservation. Applications for 2026 have closed (checked on October 25, 2026).
A brewery that began in Higashiyama and fell silent in Fushimi
In October 1902, the first generation, 藤岡栄太郎, began making sake in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto. In 1910 he moved production to Fushimi, and since 1918 the brewery has made sake at its current site. The brand at the time was “万長”, named after “万寿長命” (a phrase wishing for a long life), and it was drunk by local people for many years.
In September 1994, the third generation, 藤岡義文, died suddenly, and Fujioka Shuzo suspended sake making after the 1995 brewing.
The fifth generation, 藤岡正章, learned sake making at breweries around Japan, and in 2002 he built a new brewery and began brewing that winter as toji himself. He cannot forget the taste of the last sake brewed before the brewery closed, and wants to make a sake that surpasses it.
The new sake was named “Sookuu”, aiming for a sake that makes the people who drink it feel gentle, just as looking up at a blue sky puts you at ease. The Fujioka family has handed down the following family motto for generations (from “蔵元のごあいさつ” (a greeting from the brewery owner) on Fujioka Shuzo’s official website):
“Good sake will surely reach heaven, and reach people.” 「よい酒は必ずや天に通じ、人に通じる」
Fushimi’s underground water, and the same care in every batch
Fushimi is a place rich in underground water, once also written “伏水 (Fushimizu)”. Fujioka Shuzo draws up the underground water “Shiragikusui (白菊水)”, which flows from the east, from a 100-meter-deep well, and uses it to make its sake. The brewery describes the flavor of the Sookuu made with this water like this (from “こだわり” (our commitments) on Fujioka Shuzo’s official website):
“silky taste” (a taste as smooth as silk) 「silky taste（絹のように滑らかな味わい）」
Fujioka Shuzo hand-makes all of its sake in the same tanks, with the same care. Because of that, it cannot make large quantities. For pressing, it uses a traditional tool called a “fune (槽)”. What the brewery aims for is “shokuchu-shu (sake to drink with meals)”.
Sookuu that changes with the seasons
Sookuu’s line-up changes with the rice variety and the season. The bottles sold at the brewery are 500 ml; 1.8-liter bottles are supplied only to liquor stores that carry Sookuu.
Here are three different kinds of the brewery’s products. Prices are the tax-included prices in the brewery’s official online shop (checked on October 25, 2026).
- Sookuu Junmai Miyama Nishiki (純米・美山錦) — Sookuu’s standard junmai-shu. The rice is “Miyama Nishiki” from Nagano Prefecture. It has the umami of the rice, yet a light finish. 2,399 yen for 500 ml
- Sookuu Junmai Ginjo-shu Yamada Nishiki (純米吟醸酒・山田錦) — A sake the brewery has kept making ever since it restarted sake making in 2002. A “junmai ginjo”: made only from rice, rice koji and water, with 40% or more of the outer part of the rice polished away, and fermented slowly at a low temperature. The rice is “Yamada Nishiki” from Yokawa, Hyogo Prefecture; it is soft on the palate, with a clean ginjo aroma. 3,399 yen for 500 ml
- Sookuu Tokubetsu Junmai Nama Genshu Omachi (特別純米生原酒・雄町) — A “tokubetsu junmai-shu”: made only from rice, rice koji and water, with 40% or more of the outer part of the rice polished away. It is a “namazake (unpasteurized sake)” that has not been pasteurized (hiire), and also a “genshu (undiluted sake)”, with no water added. The rice is “Omachi” from Akaiwa, Okayama Prefecture. It goes on sale in spring, and its alcohol content is 17%. 3,100 yen for 500 ml
All three products above must be kept refrigerated. Seasonal products are sold only for a limited period, and at some times of year you cannot buy them. Ingredients and brewing methods differ from product to product, so please check the label for the type.
Visiting the brewery
Sakagura Bar En and the shop
A sake counter bar inside the brewery, where you can drink Sookuu while looking through glass into the brewing room. Besides snacks, there is also amazake (a sweet rice drink) and ice cream made with the brewery’s own sake kasu (sake lees). In the same place is a shop where you can buy Sookuu.
| Sakagura Bar En and shop (checked on October 25, 2026) | |
|---|---|
| Address | 京都府京都市伏見区今町672-1 Open in Google Maps |
| Opening hours | 11:30–18:00 |
| Closed | Wednesdays. There are also closures in summer and over the New Year holidays, and some days when only the bar closes temporarily. Please check the announcements on the official website |
| Phone | 075-611-4666 |
In Japan, drunk driving is prohibited by law. If you visit by car, please do not drink any sake.
Brewery tours (June to September only, booking required, interpreter needed)
Fujioka Shuzo’s brewery tours are held, by reservation, only from June to September, when no sake is being made. No tours are accepted from October to the end of the following May, when sake is made, or during the brewery’s summer holidays.
| Brewery tour (checked on October 25, 2026) | |
|---|---|
| Booking | Required. Apply using the form on the official website at least 10 days before the date you want. You can book up to three months ahead of the day you apply. The booking is confirmed only when the brewery replies |
| Times | Choose from weekdays (except Wednesdays) 12:00–16:00, or Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays 12:00–14:00. It takes about 2 hours |
| Group size | 2–15 people per tour. You cannot apply alone |
| Fee | 3,300 yen per person (tax included). Includes two glasses of kikizake (sake tasting, comparing sakes). People who will drive and people under 20 can choose the brewery’s own ice cream instead of the tasting |
| Age | 13 and over |
| Language | The brewery cannot guide tours fully in English, so it does not accept groups made up only of travelers without an interpreter |
Applications for 2026 brewery tours have already closed. Please check the official website for next year’s information.
Getting there
Address: 〒612-8051 京都府京都市伏見区今町672-1
- Keihan: About 5 minutes on foot from Fushimi-Momoyama Station or Tambabashi Station
- Kintetsu: About 6 minutes on foot from Momoyama-goryomae Station or Kintetsu-Tambabashi Station
Walking times are estimates given by the brewery (checked on October 25, 2026). Please check train times on Keihan and Kintetsu.
Opening days and visitor arrangements may change. Please check the brewery’s official information before visiting.
Where to buy Fujioka Shuzo’s sake
To buy at the brewery, go to the shop in the same place as Sakagura Bar En (closed on Wednesdays). The brewery’s official website has an online shop, which ships within Japan by refrigerated delivery. Shipping fees are shown only for regions within Japan, and there is no information about shipping overseas.
The brewery does not publish a list of stockists (checked on October 25, 2026).
Before you buy
- The products introduced above must be kept refrigerated. Put them in the refrigerator as soon as you reach your accommodation.
- Seasonal products are sold only for a limited period. Shop stock changes from day to day.
- If you are taking sake home abroad: Bottles over 100 ml cannot go in your carry-on bag before security screening. Put them in your checked baggage, or buy them at a duty-free shop after security screening. Please check in advance what applies if you have a connecting flight, and the import limits of the country you are arriving in. → Travel tips
Other breweries in Fushimi, and sake in Kyoto Prefecture, are covered on our Kyoto Prefecture page.
Brewery facts
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Brewery | 藤岡酒造株式会社 (Fujioka Shuzo) |
| Founded | October 1902 (Meiji 35) |
| Brewery owner and toji | 藤岡正章 (5th generation; the owner serves as toji) |
| Address | 〒612-8051 京都府京都市伏見区今町672-1 Open in Google Maps |
| Phone | 075-611-4666 (fax 075-611-4343) |
| Main brand | Sookuu (蒼空) |
| Official website | https://www.sookuu.net/ |
| Brewery tours | Available (June to September only; booking required, paid; groups made up only of travelers without an interpreter not accepted) |
| Brewery shop | The brewery’s shop and Sakagura Bar En (11:30–18:00; closed on Wednesdays) |
| List of stockists | Not published (checked on October 25, 2026) |
| English support | No English official page. Tours cannot be guided fully in English, so groups made up only of travelers need an interpreter |