History
When the palace at the new Heian Capital (now Kyoto) was constructed at the end of the 8th c., the river's course was altered to flow east of the palace.
Floods often threatened the ancient capital. Emperor Shirakawa recited his three unmanageable things: Sōhei (armed monks of Enryaku-ji), dice, and the water of the Kamo River. These days, however, the riverbanks are reinforced with concrete and have improved drainage systems. The merchant Suminokura Ryōi constructed the Takase River on a parallel with the Kamo River in early 17th century. Transportation was done on the canal instead of the unstable mainstream.
The encounter between Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Benkei at Gojō Bridge (not the present one, but presumably Matsubara Bridge) over the river is a famous legend set in the late Heian period. Sanjō Bridge was regarded as the west end of the Tōkaidō during the Edo period.
In the past, the river was a crucial source of relatively pure drinking water for Kyoto residents. It also played a role in Kyoyuzen dyeing, a famous craft of Kyoto.
Read more about this topic: Kamo River
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
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—Peter B. Medawar (1915–1987)