During the Warring States period, Takeda Shingen demonstrated his exceptional military talent and made a name for himself as a hero of the Kai region. His talents were not limited to military affairs; he was also loved by the people of his fiefdom, and is described as a man who excelled in the management of his fief. We will explore the specifics of his business activities by delving into his most prominent projects.
Construction of the Shingen Zutsumi to help the people and create jobs and attract people to the area
Shingen Zutsumi, which is said to have saved the local people from flood damage, can still be seen throughout Yamanashi Prefecture and has been passed down to posterity as a historical site left behind by the local hero.
Shingen Shingen, a famous general in the Warring States period, constructed the Shingen Zutsumi, one of the most prominent projects he undertook. Kai Province is known for its large rivers, such as the Fuefuki River, Hi River, Ara River, Kamanashi River, and Midai River, which flowed through the Kofu Basin and frequently caused major floods.
Shingen decided to build a levee (called a kawabuke or kawabuke) at Ryuoh, the confluence of the Kamanashi River and the Otenshi River, to prevent flood damage to the Kofu Basin and to protect and develop villages, towns, and agricultural land. At that time, the Kamanashi River flowed through the Kofu Basin in three separate channels due to the rapid flow of the Ooteshigawa River. In particular, the eastern channel, which joined the Arakawa River in the suburbs of Kofu, had a significant impact on the central Kofu Basin.
During the Koji period, Shingen began construction of a dike to close the eastern stream channel, starting from the Takaiwa of Ryuoh.This was the Shingen Dike, known as the “Ryuonokawa-yoke”. After the fall of the Takeda clan, the embankment project continued to be extended, and during the Kyoho Years of the Edo period (1603-1867), all three channels continued to be shut off from the present-day Kamanashi River channel. For this reason, the Shingen Zutsumi built by the Takeda clan is called “Kamigawa-yoke”, which refers to the existing breakwater upstream from the current Shingen Bridge, while the later ones are called “Shimogawa-yoke”.
This is said to have been drafted by Shingen. A “snake basket”, a weighted cylindrical basket filled with river boulders, is fixed to the bottom of a log assembled in a triangular shape. It protects levees and riverbanks by slowing the flow of floodwaters. (Collection of the National Diet Library)
Shingen issued a red seal in 3 Eiroku era (1658-1704) inviting people to live on the side of Shingen Zutsumi in Ryuoh in order to ensure the maintenance of the embankment at all times. Moving to the area and building a house there came with the privilege of being exempted from all taxes. In this way, emigrants gathered from all over the Kofu Basin, mainly from the Kamanashi River basin, and the Ryuoh Kawahara Inn (the origin of Ryuoh Village) was established.
Residents here were obliged to plant bamboo trees on the levees, reinforce the levees, and monitor the water level of the Kamanashi River and the condition of the levees during rainfall. In addition to this, they were also to cut down bamboo from the levees and deliver it to the Takeda clan, if instructed to do so. These bamboos were probably used as munitions.
It was not only the Ryuo-kawahara Inn that was responsible for maintaining the Shingen Zutsumi, but also the various villages along the Kamanashi River that were ordered to block the broken levee in the event of flooding. This was because Shingen required the communities benefiting from Shingen’s levees to take on the burden as the beneficiary. This practice continued into the Edo period.
Written by Hirayama Masaru
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