English to Italian Art/Literary History Japan

This is a model of a water guard house that was located near what is now the Yotsuya Ōkido Gate of Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden.

The Tamagawa Waterworks took in water from the Tamagawa River at Hamura. For a distance of about 43 kilometers from Hamura to the Yotsuya Ōkido Gate, the water flowed above ground. From there the water was supplied to Edo Castle and people in the southwestern part of Edo through stone or wooden pipes laid underground.

The water guardhouse was built for water control at the point where the waterworks changed its course from above ground to underground. The guardhouse was staffed by water guards, who were in charge of measuring the water level at a scheduled time every day, controlling the flow of water by operating a water gate and discharging surplus or muddy water southward into the Shibuya River. In addition, a waste catcher was installed at watersheds to prevent waste and driftwood from flowing into the underground watercourse.

In the Mid-Edo period and later, the water guards also served as waterworks inspectors who kept watch on the watercourse from Daitamura to Yotsuya Ōkido.


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CT