nowned. The "Million-koku Culture" bloomed as a result of the vast wealth of the region. As both a large domain and an "Outer Lord" (Tozama: daimyo who submitted to Ieyasu only after he won the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600) the eyes of the Shogunate were constantly on Kaga, and to keep it at bay, the Maedas poured their efforts into cultural rather than military pursuits. The third Lord Maeda, Toshitsune, formed the Kaga Workmanship Office and promoted lacquer and gold-and-lacquer-work; and the fifth lord, Tsunanori, collected works of art and artisans from all over the country. The roots of this cultural flowering go back to the days of Toshiie and Toshinaga, when Kaga gold-leaf, inlaid work, and calligraphy were well-known even then.
When the third lord split his domain up between his three sons, Kaga still provided an income in excess of a million �koku�. This massive income ensured Kanazawa's status as one of the largest cities in Japan throughout the Edo period, and gave rise to a legacy of art and culture that in many ways rivals even that of Kyoto. Even today the phrase �Kaga Hyakumangoku� is a common one when talking about the history and position of the city: a �koku� was the unit of income for samurai in the feudal period, and is about 150 kg of rice. At current Japanese retail rice prices, a million-koku income is roughly the equivalent of about sixty billion yen, or an income of some US$600,000,000 per year.
Development
On April 14, 1631, fire broke out near the Sai Bridge. It consumed much of the city, including the castle. In 1632 Toshitsune ordered the construction of a canal to bring water from the upper Sai River to the castle to alleviate the water shortage problem in the castle. A bold plan was drawn up: water would be drawn from far upstream, and channelled through kilometres of canals and pipes down to the castle. The pipes were carefully laid at a 750:1 slope for about 3.3 kilometres along the Kodatsuno ridge. The
