On November 6, a public lecture entitled "City Planning with Castle and History - Autumn Session -" was held at Kakumachi Plaza, with 13 participants ranging in age from high school students to those in their 80s.
First, Kanazawa University Emeritus Professor Ito Satoru gave an overview of the irrigation network that has supported life in Kanazawa, and explained the background behind why the Tatsumi Waterway is counted among Japan's four major irrigation channels. Next, Fellow Tatsuro Uesaka from Toyo Sekkei Co., Ltd. explained the advanced civil engineering technology of the Tatsumi Waterway, which was constructed in the early Edo period, and mentioned the efforts that have been made to support the waterway and the conservation of the natural environment along the waterway.
In the afternoon the group went on a bus for fieldwork, visiting Hachimanitaya Shrine, dedicated to Itaya Hyoshiro, who completed the Tatsumi Irrigation Canal in 1632, and saw a monument commemorating his achievement. Then they moved to Tatsumi Dam, where they viewed the tunnel's hand-dug tunnel and water intake from an observation deck. They also walked through the biotope of Sandan Ishigaki Nature Park, where stone walls built to protect the canal, and along the maintained promenade, experiencing the flow of the canal.
The participants shared their impressions, saying: "I was very pleased to be able to see the intake and tunnels by myself" and "It was very interesting to learn about the origins of the Tatsumi Irrigation Canal from a broad perspective". They gained a new appreciation for the Tatsumi Irrigation Canal, one of Kanazawa's historical heritage sites.
Lecturer: Kanazawa University Emeritus Professor Satoru Ito
Tatsuro Uesaka, Toyo Sekkei Co., Ltd.
Click here for details and registration for Kanazawa University public lectures
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Emeritus Professor Ito giving a lecture -
Mr. Uesaka (in the center of the photo) giving an explanation of the Tatsumi Dam -
Visiting Tatsumi Dam -
Students observing the tunnel's side holes
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