英語訳
**Record of Flood Damage** — Fūzoku Gahō Special Issue No. 128, published November 20, Meiji 29 (1896)
◯ Articles
● Flood Damage in Kyoto Prefecture
**Flood Damage in Kyoto Prefecture** (Report by the Kyoto Prefecture Governor)
Due to the heavy rains that had been falling in recent days, the main and tributary streams of the Yodogawa River throughout the prefecture rose violently, reaching their peak flood levels on July 21st. The Katsuragawa River rose 8 shaku 3 sun, the Kamogawa River rose 1 jō 5 shaku, the Ujigawa River rose 9 shaku 8 sun, the Kizugawa River course rose 1 jō 6 shaku, and the main stream of the Yodogawa River rose 1 jō 4 shaku 4 sun. As a result, all districts in the southern part of Yamashiro Province suffered damage to varying degrees. In particular, Kii and Kuze Districts were most severely affected: the number of inundated homes reached 2,297 in Kii District and 500 in Kuze District, with more than half experiencing above-floor-level flooding. This was comparable in scale to the flood damage of Meiji 22 (1889). Nevertheless, because protective measures for roads, bridges, and embankments had been appropriately carried out, the damage to infrastructure was limited to two locations along the shore of Lake Ogura, with a total breach length of approximately 60 ken, plus 18 or 19 locations of damage along the Ujigawa, Yodogawa, Katsuragawa rivers, and Lake Ogura. In Soraku District, there was one bridge collapse, one house destroyed by a landslide, and two drowning deaths. In other districts of Yamashiro, there were various minor damages to roads, embankments, small bridges, and flooded homes, all still under investigation. Flooded farmland amounted to approximately 600–700 chō.
**Flood Conditions in Kyoto Prefecture**
A detailed account of the rising water levels of rivers throughout Kyoto Prefecture is as follows:
**The Canal (Sosui):**
The main line of the Kyoto City Canal received a considerable inflow of water from the surrounding roads, and precautionary measures were taken. The flow was reduced at the sluice gate at Mihogazaki, Ōtsu, the water source. Despite the large volume of water flowing down from the mountains of the Yamashina area, the main canal line fortunately avoided overflow and remained undamaged. However, due to the flooding of the Shirakawa River, the bank protection at the Shirakawa inlet of the Nanzenji boat basin (dam) partially collapsed, as it often does in such circumstances, and the basin's land area of several dozen tsubo became buried in silt and debris. On the branch canal line, the Kamogawa sluice gate suffered only minor damage with no major harm, but embankment damage occurred both above and below the Ebisugawa Bridge and the Donguri Bridge, which lies south of Shijō on the same canal. Fortunately, the embankments from south of Gojō to Fushimi suffered no abnormalities, reportedly owing to the major repairs carried out the previous year. On the evening of the 21st, the official in charge of water management for the lower section went to the sites of electrical wire installations at Sanjō, Shijō, and Nijō along the Kamogawa River with staff members, directing dozens of workers from the Ōnishi and Ishida construction groups, braving the rain and working almost through the night to protect the telegraph poles. Emergency protective measures were also applied to the damaged embankment sections mentioned above. While working to prevent the collapse of the telegraph poles, a worker named Yamada from the Water Management Office suffered a serious injury to his finger from an electrical wire (No. 8 wire) and lost consciousness, but was immediately treated. Furthermore, during flood-prevention work on the embankment south of Shijō Bridge, two workers from the Ōnishi Group were injured: one nearly drowned after falling into the water, and another was struck in the side by a willow protection timber. Fortunately, neither injury was reported to be life-threatening. It is also noted that the repair costs required by the Water Management Office in relation to this flood damage will likely amount to approximately 1,000 yen.
**The Kamogawa River Course:**
The rise of the Kamogawa River was also extraordinary. On the night of the 21st, the bridge pilings of the east bank of Ebisugawa Bridge were swept away, making the bridge impassable. The Aoi Bridge and others were in a dangerously close condition, with water nearly reaching the level of the bridge decks. Kyoto Prefecture's civil engineering officials and workers lit bonfires at each bridge and exerted great efforts at flood defense. Furthermore, approximately 30 ken of riverbank protection in front of the Kyoto Livestock Farm collapsed at around 9 p.m. that night, and civil engineering officials directed workers to carry out emergency protective construction. Around 10 p.m., two large Chinese bead trees (sendan) behind a tea shop on the north side of the east bank of Kōjin Bridge fell and were swept into the Kamogawa River, causing the nearby stone walls to collapse and buildings to tilt. In addition, a considerable number of raised-floor structures along Kiyamachi Street were tilted by the force of the water, but thanks to the vigilance of police officers from the Kawabata Police Station, they fortunately escaped being washed away.
**Rising Waters in the Horikawa River Course:**
Due to the heavy rain of the 21st, the Horikawa River course rose 3 shaku 7–8 sun above its normal water level. However, because the weeds on both banks and debris on the riverbed had been removed beforehand, drainage was extremely efficient and there was no flooding at all. As for the riverside leisure platforms erected near Matsubara… (text continues)