Iwabuchi Sluice Gate

Iwabuchi Sluice Gate is located at the north tip of Tokyo 23-ku area. This is an industrial monument of Tokyo.

Up to 100 years ago, Arakawa river ran along the same route of present-day Sumida river, At that time, the east part of Tokyo downtown frequently suffered from flood. After a big disaster, the government decided to construct a canal which bypasses Tokyo downtown area. The size of the project was about one-tenth of Panama canal project, which was the milestone of the 20th-century civil engineering, but for Japan at that time it was a huge project. After the completion of the project , Arakawa river changed its path to the east . Since then, Tokyo has never suffered from floods. When water level went up the sluice gate in the photo shut down , which protected Sumida river from flooding.