Historical Library
Reference RoomThe Second Reference Room(3)
Sasanagashi from Tanabata (Star) festival at the Nagahori River
Dyeing? Washing?
An ordinary life near the Nagahori River (from "Settsu Meisho Zue")
The river was very important for the people in Osaka because it was for transportation and household uses.
Back then, people outside of Osaka generally drank well water for free. Whereas, in Osaka, well water was so muddy that people had to buy drinking water from the river. There is an interesting notion in "Naniwazasshi Chimata no Uwasa (Osaka Town Talk)" that Osaka is a good place to live but drinking water is not free.
To maintain the quality of the river water for drinking, the government had to make great efforts by issuing much tightened regulations many times during the Edo period. For example, on the Tanabata (Star) festival, people wrote their wishes on pieces of paper and threw them away in the river to make their wishes come true; however, this tradition was banned to keep the water clean. A play writer from Edo, Ginkei Heitei, lived in Osaka for a while, wrote his experiences. Published in 1835 (Tempo 6)
Back then, people outside of Osaka generally drank well water for free. Whereas, in Osaka, well water was so muddy that people had to buy drinking water from the river. There is an interesting notion in "Naniwazasshi Chimata no Uwasa (Osaka Town Talk)" that Osaka is a good place to live but drinking water is not free.
To maintain the quality of the river water for drinking, the government had to make great efforts by issuing much tightened regulations many times during the Edo period. For example, on the Tanabata (Star) festival, people wrote their wishes on pieces of paper and threw them away in the river to make their wishes come true; however, this tradition was banned to keep the water clean. A play writer from Edo, Ginkei Heitei, lived in Osaka for a while, wrote his experiences. Published in 1835 (Tempo 6)