高瀬川一之船入, Historic berth at Takase River in Nakagyo-ku, Japan.
高瀬川一之船入, also known as Takasegawa Ichi no Funairi, is a historic berth on the Takase River in Nakagyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan. The site features stone-reinforced banks forming a small inlet where cargo boats once loaded and unloaded goods.
The Takase River and this berth were built in the early 17th century by a merchant named Suminokura Ryōi to move goods between Kyoto and Fushimi. The canal stayed in use for over two centuries before newer forms of transport gradually replaced river shipping.
A flat-bottomed cargo boat called a Takasebune is displayed at the site and can be seen up close by visitors. This type of boat was once a common sight on the river and shaped the rhythm of daily life in this part of the city.
The site sits along Kiyamachi Street in central Kyoto and is easy to reach on foot from nearby stations. Visiting in the evening is a good option, as the lights along the river banks bring out the details of the stonework.
The Takase River is unusually shallow, at only around 30 centimeters (about 12 inches) deep, which made standard boats useless and required the special flat-bottomed Takasebune to be designed. This shallow depth was not an accident but a deliberate choice to make the canal cheaper and easier to dig.
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