Tamagawa Waterworks

The IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition will be held in Tokyo in September 2018, marking the first time the event will be held in Japan. To celebrate the occasion, the Edo-Tokyo Museum is hosting a special exhibition about the Tamagawa Aqueduct. The history of Tokyo’s water supply and disposal system stretches all the way back to the early Edo period, as securing a source of water was one of the most important tasks in developing the city of Edo. Spring water from Akasaka Reservoir was used, and the Kanda Aqueduct was created by diverting water from the Kanda River, but the population of the city continued to grow, and the supply of water was no longer sufficient. Eyes turned to the abundant water that could be provided by the Tama-gawa – or in English, the Tama River. The Tamagawa Aqueduct branched off from the middle reach of the Tama River at Hamura to stretch out a length of 43 kilometers. From the city gate at Yotsuya Okido, the water passed through an underground crisscrossing waterway that supplied the people of Edo with the water they needed. This exhibit will feature ukiyo-e, documents, models, and wells and pipes that were once actually used, all of which will help our visitors learn more about the Tamagawa Aqueduct and how it brought water to the people of Edo.