The Ways of Water in the Old Capital
Bringing Lake Biwa to Kyoto
Back at the beginning of the Meiji period (1868-1912), pure water was becoming something of a luxury. The wells which had served the citizens of Kyoto for over a millennium left something to be desired, while the Kamo and Katsura Rivers were being polluted by a combination of dry and wet spells and the burgeoning textile industry.
The local government didn’t have to look far to find a new source of water. Just beyond the mountains east of the city lay the largest body of inland water in the country, Lake Biwa. In short order, Governor Kitagaki dispatched a 21-year old engineer named Sakuro Tanabe to build a 20-kilometer canal from the lake, much of it underground, allocating an amount equivalent to more than ten times the city’s budget.
Less than just twenty years before, Japan had emerged from its three-century slumber of feudal isolation. Yet in a mere five years, Tanabe overcame monumental problems of technology and bureaucracy to complete Japan’s first modern large-scale public works project.
The new canal was also used for shipping rice, charcoal, ceramics, kimono and other commodities into the city, at great benefit to the local economy and that of Shiga Prefecture, where Lake Biwa lies.
On the centenary of the canal’s completion, the city built the small Lake Biwa Canal Museum at Keage, where the canal flows into the city’s water system. It’s a free, quick lesson for the visitor who recognizes that history didn’t stop with the great temples and castles of the past – and there are lots of other things to see in the area as well.
In June 2020, the story of the Lake Biwa Canal with its historically fascinating traditions and customs was designated as “Japan Heritage” by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. Experience the fascination of the Lake Biwa Canal, a great achievement by people from the Meiji period that still plays an important role today.
Lake Biwa Canal Museum
Open: 9:00 to 17:00, Closed Mon.; Admission free; A 10-minute walk southeast from Heian Shrine; biwakososui-museum.city.kyoto.lg.jp