RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CONFIGURATION OF "KINRI GOYOSUI" AND PONDS OF GARDENS NEAR KYOTO IMPERIAL PALACE

Abstract

  Kyoto Gyoen today and its surroundings is an area where many ponds of gardens have been constructed. These ponds used to be irrigated by “Kinri Goyosui” (the canal for Kyoto Imperial Palace) taking the water from the River Kamo. This paper aims to reveal the configuration of “Kinri Goyosui” through an analysis of historical documents. As a result, we can point out four characteristic mechanics and a management rule of “Kinri Goyosui” for sharing water resources between upstream farms and downstream ponds. Moreover, by examining the route of channels to supply water to the ponds, we can reveal particularity of the pond in the garden of Kaisanto in Shokokuji temple and flexibility of water supplying system of “Mikawa-mizu” (the channels around the palaces and the residences).