`The fourth section of construction`

£ the Chisui-Kannon Shrine ( in the Sembon-matsubara Chisui Shrine )

Between Kaizu Town Kanemawari waju and Kuwana City Jizoguchi

     The fourth section of construction was mainly to separate the Kiso and the Ibi river. Also
this work of closed bank in Aburashima was one of the most difficult work of all               
embankment works in Horeki. The reason why it was a hard work was that people thought it       
was imposible to separate the rapid streams at that time because of a 3-meter bottom height    
difference between the Kiso and the Ibi river, which their bottoms were very deep.             
     The work of closed bank from Aburashima to Matsunoki was started on September 24th        
1954 for strong requirements of local village headmen. First of all , this work was started    
off with pre-reclamation. It was a very dangerous work to load old boats with stones and       
sink them or to tie stones to branches of big trees, carry them to provided points and cut off 
branches with stones in the water, then come back by swimming. The pre-reclamation was         
gradually ready, then the construction was really started with sinking frames that were        
called g Chigata hand arranging them on the bottom of the water. g Chigata h( a side of a  
frame with 4.2 meters long ) was really heavy so it was very hard work to stand them up        
straight in the rapid current. Satsuma Hanshi had local carpenters make the frames. Though     
at first the shogunate was supposed to pay wages to them , the Satsuma Clan paid after all.    
     The construction was started on October 13th at Matsunoki, too. They decided to open      
the middle of the bank, not to close tightly in January 1755. Because people who lived in      
waju would worry about rising the water level if the bank were to be closed. So Aburashima     
bank was not a closed bank. Then it was modified to construct the bank 360 meters long at      
Matsunoki side and 990 meters at Aburashima side. A last plan was decided on Feburary. It      
was finished on March 27th. Few people know that Satsuma Hanshi planted huga-pines that        
they got from Satsuma at the bank to celebrate the completion and to mourn for the dead.       

Ogaki Seinen Club e-mail address tuyoshi@he.mirai.ne.jp