Old Iwabuchi Sluice Gates, Historic sluice gates in Shimo, Tokyo, Japan
The Old Iwabuchi Sluice Gates consist of five openings, each 9 meters (30 feet) wide, made of reinforced concrete and painted in a bold red color. The gates connect the two large rivers, Arakawa and Sumida, and now form a walkway to the small park on the river island.
Engineer Akira Aoyama completed the project in 1924 to prevent flooding by controlling water flow between the two rivers. The gates remained operational until 1982 and received protected status from Tokyo Metropolitan Government in 1999.
The structure takes its name from the nearby Iwabuchi neighborhood and now serves as a passage to a small island in the river. Visitors walk across the old structure and see the wide waterways on both sides.
The red gates are clearly visible from the riverbank and the walkway across them is freely accessible. Crossing over provides a good view of both river channels and the surrounding landscape.
A stone monument nearby commemorates the national grass cutting championships held here between 1938 and 1944. This competition was an unusual sporting event that took place on the green areas of the riverbank.
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