He was also praised by the common people in Edo, and comic waka poem remained as 'In Hosokawa, the flow of water (pronounced as mizuno in Japanese) is clear but often (Matsudaira Oki no kami (Matsudaira, the governor of Oki Province)) of the ocean (Mori Kai no kami (Mori, the governor of Kai Province)) is cloudy.'
また江戸の庶民からも称賛されたようで、「細川の　水の（水野）流れは清けれど　ただ大海（毛利甲斐守）の沖（松平隠岐守）ぞ濁れる」との狂歌が残っている。