Gregory's ServerIt takes three men to navigate each flat-bottomed boat.
Each team takes a turn at the rudder, oar and a pole (used to guide the boat away from rocks and push it clear of the more dangerous parts of the river).
|
Top-level
6 comments
Ryōi made it possible to use boats along the length of the river, allowing for rice, wheat, firewood and charcoal from Tamba Province to be quickly and cheaply transported. In 1606 Ryōi started work on his most ambitious river management project...clearing the Hozu-gawa. It had been his long-held aspiration to blast away the rocks and calm the rapids of the river, in order to speed up, make safe and monetize the route from Tanba Province. Calming the Hozu-gawa cost a huge amount of money and man-hours, and many men lost their lives. Daihikaku possesses a rather startling image of Suminokura Ryōi (角倉了以 1554-1614). He sits on a large coil of rope and holds an ishiwari axe (石割斧), both essential items in river excavation. For a time it is said he lived at the temple, praying for souls of the dead workers. Following Ryōi's opening of the Hozu-gawa, trade along the waterway exploded. With their livelihoods lost, boatsmen struck upon the idea of offering rides to visitors. Natsume Sōseki's (夏目漱石) 'Gubijinsō' (虞美人草 'The Poppy'), published in 1907, helped to popularise the Hozugawa Kudari (保津川下り). In Natsume's story a young couple buys their tickets for Tanba, getting off at Kameoka, where the boatsmen would wait for their guests. |
The current form of the river emerged thanks to the merchant and river engineer Suminokura Ryōi (角倉了以 1554-1614).
Hailing from a fabulously wealthy family, Ryōi was employed throughout his life to 'open up' a handful of rivers in return for special trading rights.