William Tsuboigawa (坪井川), which drains the area from the east around the south of Mt. Kimpo, is the little river that could - do a lot of damage. Its flow meandered along with Shirakawa until Kato Kiyomasa disciplined them with banks and catchment areas, which anyone who lives near Tsuboigawa knows are barely enough during heavy rain. The Tsuboigawa Greenbelt (Tsuboigawa ryokuchi, 坪井川緑地) was thus created. The area is accessible via Kumamoto Dentetsu Kitakumamoto station. Kumanichi reports that this is the season to view lotus blossoms.(hasunohana, 蓮の花 - the root is called renkon, 蓮根). Buddhists revere the flower as a symbol of the rise to Nirvana through the muck of life, and the lotus root as food is such a symbol of Kumamoto that the Hosokawa family crest is modeled on it. Kumanichi: https://kumanichi.com/articles/692865