In olden days, waterwheels played an important role and were a familiar part of people’s daily lives.
The waterwheel hut that stands in front of Sanbuichi Spring had been used from the early Taisho Period (1912–1926) to around the 1950s. Thirteen waterwheels once existed in Koarama, but today, this is the only one that remains in the Kyohoku District (Hokuto City, Nirasaki City).
Waterwheel huts were commonly called “Kurumaya” (literally, “wheel hut”). They turned the waterwheels using the power of water to grind rice, millet, wheat and buckwheat for food. It is said that a rotation system was used to decide which family could use which hut at specific times.