How Water and the Town Were Connected in Gujo Hachiman
When you walk through Gujo Hachiman, you may find yourself drawn to the waterways flowing through the town.
Clear, cool water runs between houses, and traditional water tanks called mizubune can be seen along the waterways.
Today, these waterways are known as one of the characteristic sights of Gujo Hachiman. But for the people who lived here in the past, the waterways were not something to simply look at.
Water was part of everyday life.
Sogisu — A Town Blessed with Abundant Water
Gujo Hachiman has long been blessed with abundant water that has supported daily life in the town.
One of the best-known springs is Sogisu.
The spring is associated with Sogi, a famous linked-verse poet who visited Gujo during the Muromachi period. Today, Sogisu is also recognized as the first site selected for Japan’s famous “100 Remarkable Waters” list.
Water flowing down from the mountains entered the town and was used in many different ways in people’s daily lives.
It was not simply used for drinking.
The water flowed through waterways around the town, where people used it to wash food and dishes, raise fish, and carry out many other everyday activities.
Mizubune — Using Water in Sequence
In Gujo Hachiman, people developed a system called mizubune, in which spring water or mountain water was brought close to their homes for everyday use.
A mizubune usually consists of two or three connected sections.
The first section was used for drinking water and washing food, while the next section was used for washing dishes.
Rice grains and other food scraps washed from the dishes would flow into a lower pond, where they could be eaten by carp and other fish.
The water then continued flowing downstream.
In other words, the same water was used in sequence rather than being wasted after a single use.
The mizubune is a good example of how people in Gujo Hachiman made careful use of the abundant water around them.
Keeping Fish Right Beside the House
The close connection between water and daily life was not limited to mizubune.
In Gujo Hachiman, people sometimes used structures called eibako—box-shaped tanks built under the eaves of their homes and connected directly to the waterways.
Water was brought in from the waterway and then returned to it.
These tanks could be used to keep ayu sweetfish for fishing, as well as carp and goldfish.
Imagine having a tank under the eaves of your house, with the water from the town’s waterway flowing through it.
From the perspective of modern life, it may seem a little strange.
But in Gujo Hachiman, the waterways were not simply “public water” outside the home. They were part of everyday life, flowing right alongside people’s houses.
Cooling Watermelons in the Summer
The waterways also played a role in summer life.
Before refrigerators became part of everyday life, cold water could be used to cool food.
In Gujo Hachiman, people sometimes cooled watermelons in the cold water flowing through the waterways.
On a hot summer day, they could take a chilled watermelon out of the water and eat it.
Today, we can simply open the refrigerator. But for people in the past, the cool water flowing nearby could serve as a natural way to keep food cold.
The waterways were not only part of the summer scenery. They were also part of the way people lived through the summer.
Clean Waterways Had to Be Maintained
At this point, you might wonder:
How did people keep these waterways clean when they were so closely connected to everyday life?
Of course, the waterways did not stay clean simply because nature took care of them.
Local residents maintained them, including taking turns to clean the waterways.
The people who used the water also shared responsibility for keeping it flowing properly.
There were also rules governing how the water was to be used and protected.
And it was not enough to take care of the waterways in the town.
If you want to protect the water, you also have to protect the forests and mountains where that water originates.
Water nurtured in the mountains flows down into the town, where it supports people’s daily lives through the waterways.
The people who used that water maintained the waterways and also protected the forests that served as its source.
Gujo Hachiman’s water culture was therefore not limited to the waterways within the town.
It was a system for protecting the entire flow of water—from the mountains to the town.
The Waterways Were Part of Daily Life Long Before They Became a Tourist Attraction
Today, the waterways of Gujo Hachiman are one of the sights that visitors photograph.
But for the people who lived here, they were places to:
cool watermelons,
keep fish,
wash dishes,
and clean and maintain.
With mizubune, water was used in sequence.
With eibako, water from the waterways was brought right alongside the home.
And local residents cleaned and maintained the waterways, while also taking care of the forests that protected the water sources.
The waterways did not exist to make the town look beautiful.
They were there because people lived with the water.
When you walk through Gujo Hachiman, try not only looking at the waterways and thinking, “How beautiful,” but also asking yourself:
“What did people use this water for in the past?”
You may begin to see the town a little differently.
A town with waterways.
It is also a town that has lived with its water—and protected it.
Reference
Gujo Hachiman Tourism Association, Exploring the Town of Water
