The Hanaguri Ide

About the Hanaguri Ide

The Babakusu Ide is a waterway built to irrigate rice paddies along its 12-km length that stretches from its inlet along the Shirakawa River in Babakusu, Kikuyo, to the Oe and Toroku areas of Kumamoto City. The canal was supposedly built in 1608 when Kato Kiyomasa was ruler of Kumamoto.

Thanks to this canal, water was able to reach approximately 95 hectares of land spreading across nine villages, leading to a 300% increase in crop yields. *Ref: Shokokuchisuii, Kanokogi Ryohei
The Hanaguri Ide refers to a section of the Babakusu Ide located approximately 2km downstream from its inlet. The Hanaguri Ide utilizes an ingenious layout to prevent dirt from building up along the canal bottom, built in a time before machines could do the work. The Hanaguri Ide is an important piece of historical heritage and a treasure of Kikuyo.