Hanaguri Ide

Etymology

"Hanaguri" is the Japanese word for an ox's muzzle-ring. The Hanaguri Ide looks like such a ring.

Another term is **Karakawano Tsukumobane ** or the "99 splashes of Karakawa" (the location of the canal). It is also called Karakawano Tsuzuraore.

Structure

Katō Kiyomasa (1562 - 1611) was a daimyō who entered Kumamoto in 1588. He was known not only as a samurai but also as a castle builder and as one who controlled　rivers. He designed a 113-meter-wide dam to control the flow of Shirakawa River, at Babagusu village, followed by a 1,638-meter canal and a 387-meter special canal called Hanaguri Ide. The rock bed had 2-meter-wide tunnels, interconnected and situated alternately at different heights, so that the entering water would crash violently and come in contact with the surfaces of each tunnel, and ash would whirl down the downstream.

There were officials who did not understand the structure, and destroyed 52 holes. However, with 28 holes remaining, Hanaguri Ide worked well. The Hanaguri Ide enriched wide areas good for rice fields, so that tax revenues tripled after the construction of Hanaguri Ide.

Improvements in agriculture

A number of rice fields were developed due to Hanaguri Ide:

• Nuyamazu Tenaga area: about 21 chō (1 chō is 2.451 acres)
• Ozu Tenaga area:about 33 chō
• Honjo Tenaga area:about 23 chō

The period of construction

It was assumed to be between 1600 and 1611 based on the personal history of Katō Kiyomasa who governed the Higo country. There was a reference that the dam was constructed in 1608.

Floods

Hanaguri Ide experienced two big floods; one in July, 1796 and another on June 26, 1953 or 1953 North Kyushu Flood. Especially the latter flood contained volcanic ash due to the eruption of Mount Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture. There was a monument after the reconstruction of the dam as follows.

The Monument

History: Originally, Hanagiru Ide was constructed by Katō Kiyomasa in order to cultivate and enrich the land making a side river branch of Shirakawa River between Hakusui Mura and Tomiai Mura (name of place) 350 years ago. Hanaguri Ide was constructed to remove sand and ash letting water flow smoothly, and enriching the areas as rice fields as large as 95 chō. Incidentally, there was a big flood containing volcanic ash from Mount Aso on June 26, 1953. With the national budget of 5,900,0000 yen, the Babagusu dam was reconstructed in October 1955. Share the joy of construction and never forget the history of the dam. October 1955, Atsushi Okamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture Assembly Disaster Committee Member}}

References

;Sources

• Yoneo Yano, Kato Kiyomasa, River control 1991, Shimizu Kobundo,
• Shizuo Honda, River control facilities for agriculture in Kumamoto han, 1970, Kumamoto Prefecture Land Improvement Associations. p. 173
• Katō Kiyomasa Construction Summarizing Committee, Katō Kiyomasa, how he made towns and river improvements. 1995, Ministry of Construction, Kumamoto Branch, p. 43-44

References

1. Katō Kiyomasa Committee [1995:44]
2. Honda[1970:173]
3. Yano[1991:10]
4. Yano[1991:21] Katō Kiyomasa Committee [1995:44]
5. Yano[1991:11]
6. Yano[1991:22]
7. Katō Kiyomasa Committee[1995:43]
8. Yano[1991:24-25]