The Cloistered Emperor Shirakawa, who held the reins of power in the late Heian period, raised the issue of 'water of the Kamogawa River' first as one of his tenka-sandai-funyoi (three biggest issues on earth that he could not control).
平安末期に権勢をふるった白河法皇は、自らの意に沿わないもの（天下三大不如意）の筆頭に「賀茂の水」を挙げている。