Inheritance of technology(4)

Dutch Engineers who Built the Foundation for Civil Engineering in Japan

Johannis de Rijke was a Dutch civil engineer who was invited to Japan by the Meiji Home Ministry in 1873, worked on harbor and river construction and greatly contributed to the modernization of Japan.
Hososhima Port in Miyazaki Prefecture flourished as a transit point for ships going back and forth between the direction of Osumi and Satsuma and the Seto Inland Sea. In the Meiji Period, it boasted the greatest shipping tonnage in the prefecture, but an influx of earth and sand hindered the movement of ships.
So, in 1891, De Rijke proposed a closing levee and river plan, and four years later two facilities called the De Rijke Breakwater and the De Rijke Canal were built, kicking off the modern improvement of Hososhima Port.

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Hososhima Port

Around 1895, a closing levee that divides Hososhima Port into northern and southern parts was built, along with a canal that connects the commercial port to the industrial port.
It’s still possible to discern part of the canal today.

Location: Hichiya, Hyuga-shi, Miyazaki
Website: Miyazaki Port & Airport Office, Kyushu Regional Development Bureau (Japanese only)
https://www.pa.qsr.mlit.go.jp/miyazaki/html/hososhima_port.shtml
Transportation: Approx. 15 min from Higashi Kyushu Expressway Hyuga Interchange