A CASE-STUDY OF FLOOD-CONTROL SCHEMES FOR THE KAKEHASHI RIVER AND THEIR SOCIOCULTURAL CONSEQUENCES

This paper is concerned with a twenty-five year campaign against the r elocation of the Komatsu-Tenmangu shrine as a result of the enlargemen t of the Kakehashi river. The Komatsu-Tenmangu shrine is an important cultural property of Japan, and was constructed by Toshitsune Maeda, t he third dynasty of the Kaga clan in 1657. It is suggested that the pr imary reason why it took so long to settle this issue is a flaw in our social system for managing public works. It is concluded that preserv ation of cultural property is not always contrary to land development, and that the proposed procedures or something like them must be put i nto practice for the real expansion of our culture.