Kamo River: The Flow of Life and Culture in the Ancient Capital

The Kamo River flows through Kyoto.

When the capital was established here 1,200 years ago, it played an ancient geomantic role in the protection of the city,

offered an abundant water source, and was considered sacred.

Its clear waters influenced the city's cultural evolution over centuries.

The face of the river changes with the seasons.

The scenery is splendid.

It's part of Kyoto life, and being here
relaxes your body and soul.

The river and its environs provide many blessings.

The river runs through the city, yet you can
eat the catch, and that should be promoted.

Core Kyoto focuses on the impact of the Kamo River on the residents of the ancient capital, through time.

The Kamo River runs north-south through the eastern side of Kyoto.

It stretches 23 km from its headwaters in the northern mountains.

The entertainment district that evolved along the banks near Shijo Bridge still bustles today, with residents and tourists alike.

It's our first time back from the Netherlands
in three years, so we're sightseeing here.

I never thought the river
would be this beautiful in the city.

One historical figure spurred the growth of this entertainment district.

Izumo no Okuni, a shrine maiden hailing from Izumo in Shimane Prefecture.

In 1603 on the riverbank, she began performing an unusual style of dance, dressed in male attire and flourishing a sword.

Her performances drew crowds, becoming the talk of the town.

Riding on her popularity, playhouses and shops set up along the large sandbank, and the area evolved into a center for entertainment.

Okuni's dance in time evolved into today's Kabuki.

The Minamiza Theatre, which stands nearby, was established at that time, and continues to provide Kabuki performances today.

Another now-famous, summer attraction also originated in the area.

Riverside dining platforms, known as "yuka," were first raised here above the river more than four centuries ago.

Eateries and other establishments erected balconies over the sandbar and the river itself, for theater patrons and other customers to relax in the open air.

"Yuka" are now a common part of the Kyoto scenery from May through September.

This Japanese-style restaurant and banquet hall was established around a century ago.

Today, it continues operating as a Western-style restaurant.

The Kamo River has been developed
with parks.

It's become a gathering place
for Kyotoites, so we must preserve it.

Some 100 meters from Shijo Bridge to the east stands a Buddhist temple.

Chuugen-ji was founded in 1022 to house a statue that had stood by the bridge.

The temple's primary statue, Jizo Bosatsu is revered for stopping rain and curbing floods.

The Kamo River was once known as a raging river, often causing extensive flood damage.

Most of the Kamo River's bridges were destroyed in the Great Kyoto Flood of 1935.

The central part of Kyoto suffered widespread damage.

This disaster spurred progess in flood control works to transform the Kamo River into a safe waterway.

Today, a variety of aquatic wildlife inhabit the river.

Donguri Bridge stands about 200 meters south of Shijo Bridge.

Anglers flock to the area between May and October, when the catching of sweetfish is allowed.

Their method is complex.

They attach a sweetfish decoy to their hooks, and allow them to swim freely.

The sweetfish that come to attack the decoys to defend their territory are caught on separate fishing lines.

Sawa Kenji conserves the river and releases young sweetfish into its waters.

He works to restore the river environment for wild sweetfish to spawn upstream.

I got one!

We must get them upstream.

See that drop over there.

There are something like
50 of them along the river.

Each is a hurdle for
the fish to get up.

It's hard to see. There's a fish ladder
that helps them climb up.

We also plow the riverbed by hand to make
breeding grounds and encourage the fish to spawn.

I used to play here as a kid, so I'm disappointed with the drop in
sweetfish and other wildlife on the river.

Our labors are
slowly bearing fruit, and this year many sweetfish went upriver
and there's a healthier population.

Sawa's association, environmental and biological researchers, and other people volunteer their time to the Society for the Promotion of the Blessings of Kyoto's Rivers,

to assist the sweetfish in their journey upstream.

Each fish ladder has three steps to make it easier for the sweetfish to climb.

One member is Takemon Yasuhiro, an associate professor at Kyoto University, who researches the ecology of aquatic wildlife in the Kamo River.

On this day, he has permission to collect river stones as part of his research.

He can ascertain the sweetfish's habitat from the algae growing on the rock's surfaces.

Sweetfish have fed where it's black,
not the green parts.

So, you can tell if they are
inhabiting the river from the rocks.

The activities have also resulted in the increase of other river fish varieties.

My ultimate goal is for fish and
many other aquatic animals to live here - and for travelers to enjoy
food caught in the Kamo River.

Asai Kimiyo, a member of the fishery cooperative, is making this a reality.

She runs a restaurant where she serves the sweetfish she herself catches.

Originally, my father would serve fish
he caught in the Kamo River.

I strive to continue that tradition
and keep the restaurant alive.

From a young age, Asai would join her father in the river, and before she knew it, she was inheriting the business.

Her restaurant, located by the river, was established in 1949, and specializes in freshwater fish.

A popular dish is the standard salt-grilled sweetfish.

Her father's specialty was sweetfish simmered with Japanese peppers.

She learnt how to fish and cook from watching her father, and keeps his recipes and methods alive.

Quickly immersing sweetfish sashimi in icy water firms up the meat.

Sweetfish sashimi can only be served if the fish is very fresh.

It is eaten dipped in a miso sauce flavored with smartweed and mustard.

The flesh of sweetfish from
the Kamo River is plump, and compared with sweetfish
from other areas, it is rather moist.

The river's water is soft.

People don't pay much attention to the river,
but it's definitely part of everyone's life.

One historical building stands further north on the banks of the Kamo River.

It is the residence of early-19th-century Confucian scholar Rai Sanyo.

Sanyo built his study and tea room here in 1822, calling it Sanshi Suimeisho.

He spent his twilight years here.

Sanshi Suimei is an adjective
that means "splendid" or "scenic."

It's said Sanyo
concocted the word himself.

He was apparently inspired by the image
of the mountain range turning purple - and the Kamo River
glittering in the sunlight.

Sanyo was not only taken by the view of the Kamo River.

He also lived off it.

The river is narrower now, but it ran right below
the building when it was built.

From here he would fish
and cook his catch.

He would sit drinking
with his friends.

He was a man of letters, so he would
draw water from the river for his inkstone.

There are other stories,
like that.

He lived here at one with
the scenery and the Kamo River.

One group explores and rediscovers places like this around the Kamo River, and disseminates the information.

Established in 2001, the Kappa Study Group conducts activities, such as Kamo River walking tours and uncovering valuable historical materials.

This illustration dated to about 1710 shows
control measures on the Kamo River.

Suzuki Michihisa discovered this valuable document in an antiquarian bookstore.

A civil servant had conducted this in-depth survey on the width and waterways of the river.

All the information included here
was necessary in managing the river.

To think that 300 years ago
there were people who loved the Kamo River as much as we do
and worked to protect it.

You can feel the continuation
of history.

Other individuals and groups also work hard to preserve the attractive scenery along the Kamo River.

On this day, the Kamo River Beautification Society oversees a river cleanup event.

Back when the society was founded in 1964, the Kamo River was polluted with domestic and industrial wastewater.

Since then, the society has organized various events and educational activities to revive the river's appeal.

Basically, those who attend our events are
keen on protecting the Kamo River together.

We want everyone who comes here, tourists too,
to feel responsible for this shared heritage.

More than 200 volunteers have gathered to collect trash along the river.

It'd be great if we could create a place
where children can safely play.

The northern mountainous reaches of the Kamo River, close to its source, is the location of a diving tour to observe the river wildlife.

Today, we're on a tour in search
of the Japanese giant salamander.

Tanaka Tsuguto is a member of the beautification society, and participates in its cleanups.

He now conducts tours to share the awareness he developed of the abundant nature along the Kamo River.

Japanese giant salamanders only inhabit pristine waters, an indication that the river is a good environment for underwater life.

I'm a scuba diver, and I'd join other divers
around Japan in collecting underwater trash.

That got me interested
in environmental issues.

I want people to safely enjoy
the river's blessings.

The delta, where the Kamo and Takano Rivers converge, is a popular tourist spot.

People especially love the stepping stones.

Can you manage okay?

When seen from above, the delta is covered by the greenery of the Tadasu no Mori forest.

To its north stands the ancient Shinto shrine, Shimogamo Jinja.

One of the oldest shrines in Kyoto, it served to defend the Imperial Palace from malevolent energy.

Mitarashi-sha, a small shrine on its grounds, has a spring that feeds the pond with groundwater.

During one summer festival, worshipers wade through the pond in prayer for good health in the coming year.

It's considered the cleanest water
in the shrine precincts.

The water that springs up here
is a tributary of the Kamo River.

Every May, an imperial envoy participates in Aoi Matsuri.

A procession of people, in Heian-period costume from 1,000 years ago, depart Shimogamo Jinja for Kamigamo Jinja to the north.

In one rite, a shrine maiden appointed by the emperor to serve the deities, symbolically purifies herself in the pond, before departing in the parade.

Along the main approach to Shimogamo Jinja, stands the villa once owned by an old industrial conglomerate, the Mitsui Family.

It originally stood beside the Kamo River, but the family relocated here in 1925, to allow them easier access to worship at Shimogamo Jinja.

Today, it is open to the public.

After its relocation, a garden was built incorporating a pond that is fed by the sacred water from Shimogamo Jinja.

Around 3 km north of the delta stands Kamigamo Jinja.

Together with Shimogamo Jinja, it enshrines the clan deity of the ancient Kamo family that ruled the area before the capital was established here.

A distributary of the Kamo River, which flows through the precincts, then back into the river, plays a major role in shrine life.

The shrine is designed so the worshipers must
cross the stream to pray at the inner sanctuary.

The stream acts as
a boundary and purifier.

Crossing the flowing water
cleanses the body and soul.

In a summer ritual, worshippers purify themselves by floating paper dolls, burdened with their uncleanliness, down the stream.

Hereditary priests once lived in the area around Kamigamo Jinja, and the townscape is preserved today.

The area was rezoned as residential around 700 years ago, and each household drew water from the distributary flowing through the shrine for everyday use.

One old residence still has water from the stream flowing through it today.

In days of old, the residents would douse themselves here with water in purification, before tending to their duties at the shrine.

The Umetsuji family once served the shrine as priests for generations.

One of their heirlooms is an illustrated scroll depicting the Kamo River basin, drawn in 1793.

The Kamo River flows from
Kumogahata in the north - and passes through
the Imperial Palace.

We have this because we're
descended from the Kamo clan.

The clan was officially granted
the water rights of the Kamo River.

This copy of ancient documents, which
guarantee these rights, holds all the details.

These rights were granted to the Kamo clan 1,200 years ago.

In the 17th century, the clan was appointed as magistrates of the river, and this scroll clarifies their rank.

The Kamo clan, which once governed the area including Shimogamo Jinja, was held in high esteem by the imperial court.

The end of the scroll clearly states that the rights were granted by order of the emperor.

The clan protected both the river and the lives of everyone living in its basin, for 1,000 years until the mid-19th century.

The Kamo clan is synonymous
with the Kamo River.

When I think about that, I feel
the desire for the river - to be a place where children and
everyone can swim and play.

The Kamo River flows through all aspects of life in Kyoto.

Once nurturing the prosperity of the ancient capital, it continues to hold a special place in the hearts of Kyotoites.