The term "Shimizu" can refer to a few different geographical locations within Japan, which has historically caused some confusion. Most notably, Shimizu was a former city located in the Shizuoka Prefecture, but it merged into Shizuoka City in 2003, becoming the Shimizu Ward of the modern, expanded metropolis. Additionally, there are other smaller towns and historical locations that bear the name Shimizu across various regions of the Japanese archipelago. It is important to distinguish that when referring to the construction giant "Shimizu Corporation," the name refers to the company’s founder, Kisuke Shimizu, rather than a specific current municipal entity. Therefore, while "Shimizu" identifies several geographical locales, the most common modern usage refers to either the administrative ward in Shizuoka or the historic family name associated with the global engineering enterprise.