16. Kizugawa (Mie, Nara, Shiga, Hyōgo, Kyoto, Osaka)

Photographer’s comments: The Kizugawa flows close to where I grew up. The name means “timber harbor” and refers to the region’s history as a source of lumber for the capital at Nara, which was used to build the wooden Daibutsu (Great Buddha) at Tōdaiji in the eighth century. The Kōzuyabashi located on the downstream section of the river is the longest wooden bridge in Japan and often used for scenes in televised historical dramas. As I watched people crossing the bridge, I had a feeling I was looking at an allegory of all human life.

River data: Rises in the Nunobiki Mountains on the border between Mie and Nara Prefectures, and flows into the Ujigawa, Katsuragawa, and Yodogawa Rivers close to the border between Kyoto and Osaka. Downstream is the collapsible wooden Kōzuyabashi, designed with flooding in mind. Length: 99km; Grade-one river.