Hidden Wonders | The Canal That Helped Shape Modern Kyoto

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The Lake Biwa Canal is an artificial waterway that channels water from Lake Biwa to Kyoto. Since its completion during the Meiji era, it has served multiple purposes, including transportation, hydroelectric power, and water supply. It continues to play an important role today.

The project was a major undertaking designed to revitalize Kyoto, which had declined after the capital moved to Tokyo.

The canal system includes the First Canal, which runs about 20 km from Otsu City to Fushimi Ward in Kyoto, the fully tunneled Second Canal, approximately 7.4 km long, and a branch canal, roughly 3.3 km in length, which splits off near Keage in Sakyo Ward and reaches Kitashirakawa.

The First Canal was completed in 1890, despite strong opposition from those concerned that it might dramatically change the historic city.

*A mix of Japanese and Western design at Nanzen-ji's Suirokaku Aqueduct.*

Symbol of Modernity

In his newspaper Jiji Shinpo, Yukichi Fukuzawa, author and founder of Keio University, criticized the project. He argued that Kyoto's true value in the Meiji era lay in "the beauty of its mountains and rivers and its ancient shrines and temples." Calling the preservation of historic sites "the task of the wise," he denounced the canal as a reckless attempt to blindly follow modern civilization.

One of the canal's most famous features is the Suirokaku Aqueduct in Sakyo Ward, which spans the grounds of Nanzen-ji Temple. Its Western-style arches once symbolized modernity, but today, moss-covered red bricks and its graceful arches blend harmoniously with the temple's traditional gates and subtemples.

*The Suirokaku Aqueduct forming arches within the Nanzen-ji grounds.*

The water flowing above the aqueduct is a reminder that the canal is still in use. In addition to supplying drinking water, it continues to support the city in various ways, including generating hydroelectric power and aiding in fire prevention.

A National Treasure

On August 27, five related structures — including the Suirokaku Aqueduct, the Keage Incline railway, and three tunnels — were designated National Treasures. This was the first time civil engineering works from the Meiji period received such an honor.

A representative of the Kyoto City Waterworks and Sewerage Bureau said proudly, "The Lake Biwa Canal not only helped Kyoto recover but continues to support the city. We are proud that it has been recognized."

The Lake Biwa Canal in summer.

A Lasting Legacy

"You are a fortunate man. In the old days, someone who accomplished work like this would surely have been killed."

These words were reportedly spoken to civil engineer Sakuro Tanabe, who oversaw the construction of the canal connecting Otsu to Kyoto. He later recorded the anecdote in his memoirs after the project's completion.

*The First Tunnel's east entrance, inscribed with Hirobumi Ito's inscription "Kisho Bansen," celebrating the ever-changing beauty of nature. | The statue of Sakuro Tanabe near the Keage Incline.*

Tanabe is said to have replied, "If I am killed, I will become a god." He lived until 1944, unharmed, leaving a legacy that continues to shape what makes Kyoto unique.

Today, seeing the city bustling with both domestic and international visitors around the Suirokaku Aqueduct, one cannot help but feel the enduring impact of his work.