Kachugawa River is an irrigation channel built in 1639 by Akimoto Yasutomo, ruler of the Yamura Domain at the time. The flow of Katsura River was blocked at Tahara Falls located near the castle town of Yamura, to draw in abundant spring water to the town. Kachugawa River supported people’s lives by providing drinking water and irrigation water, and later became indispensable to the development of the textile industry by supplying water to operate water mills and looms and to wash the dyes for dyed goods.
“Kachu” refers to any group of retainers serving a daimyo clan. The river was given this name because it flowed through the site where a group of retainers lived. It was wider and flowed faster in the past, and inspired feminist poet Yosano Akiko to compose the poem “In the month of August / a river of snowmelt from Fuji / flows through Yamura in Kai.” Today, the river enriches the town of Yamura as home to schools of carp.
“Kachu” refers to any group of retainers serving a daimyo clan. The river was given this name because it flowed through the site where a group of retainers lived. It was wider and flowed faster in the past, and inspired feminist poet Yosano Akiko to compose the poem “In the month of August / a river of snowmelt from Fuji / flows through Yamura in Kai.” Today, the river enriches the town of Yamura as home to schools of carp.