The role of rivers and urban growth: why Kawagoe was a logistics hub
Kawagoe, known as “Little Edo,” is a popular walking spot, but it once flourished as a “water town.” In particular, from the Edo period to the early Meiji period, the Shingashi River was an important waterway that supported Kawagoe’s logistics and economy.
The Shingashi River belongs to the Arakawa River system, and currently it branches off from the Irumagawa River in Sayama City, bypasses the northern part of Kawagoe City, flows almost parallel to the main Arakawa River, and joins the Sumida River a little downstream of the Iwabuchi Watergate in Kita Ward, Tokyo.
When it was transported by boat, the river flowed out of Isanuma, about 4km east of the city, and merged with another stream that continued near Kawagoe Castle to become the Shingashi River. The Arakawa River was called the outer river, and the Shingashi River was called the inner river. At that time, it joined the Arakawa River near what is now Niikura in Wako City.
The river served as a “waterway” directly connecting Kawagoe and Edo, and played a major role as a key logistics hub. The first time the Shingashi River was used to transport goods was in 1638 (Kan’ei 15), when the Toshogu Shrine in Senba was destroyed by fire and materials for its reconstruction were transported by boat.
In Kawagoe, which was far from Edo by land route, transporting goods took time and effort, but the development of water transportation reduced this burden. Boat transportation on the Shingashi River, which began in earnest in the mid-17th century, was carried out with construction to maintain the water volume, and five riversides were established in Kawagoe at Kami-Shin-Kashi, Shimo-Shin-Kashi, Ogi, Terao, and Ushigoe, and downstream, riverside areas such as Fukuoka, Furuichiba, Momomeki, Isajima, Hebi-ki, Hon-Kashi, Miyato, Negishi, and Shinkura were gradually established. The river, which is about 30 km long, joins the Arakawa River and flows into the Sumida River, and was responsible for transporting rice, vegetables, timber, and miscellaneous goods to Asakusa and Nihonbashi in Edo.
There were three types of ships: the standard type, the fast type, the express type, and the tobikiri type. It is said that the greatest luxury in Kawagoe during the Edo period was eating fresh sea fish transported by the tobikiri type. However, around 1886, the express and tobikiri types were abolished. The standard type, the cargo ship, took about 7 to 20 days to make a round trip to the final destination of Hanakawado. The fast type was a passenger ship. The express type took 3 or 4 days to make a round trip, while the tobikiri type took 2 days.
The ships were Takasebune (traditional Japanese boats) with a loading capacity of about 15 to 16 tons (70 to 80 koku, or 250 to 300 bales of rice). They transported rice, wheat, grains, sweet potatoes, timber, and other products from the Kawagoe area, and fertilizer and daily necessities from Edo.
With the development of water transport, Kawagoe became the base of the logistics network with Edo, and in addition to its political role as a castle town, it strengthened its character as a commercial city. Kawagoe’s merchants took advantage of this water transport to steadily supply the goods that supported the urban life of Edo, and the area came to be known as “Edo’s Kitchen.” The streets lined with stately warehouse-style buildings can be said to be a symbol of this thriving commercial activity and economic prosperity.
After the Meiji period, with the development of railways and road networks, water transport gradually declined. However, the remains of former docks and boat wholesalers can still be found along the Shingashi River, conveying the city’s history as a water transport city. Even today, walking along the river, you can feel the vestiges of a town that once lived alongside the water.
The relationship between cities and rivers is not just a geographical factor, but an important foundation that shapes people’s lives, economy, and culture. If you visit Kawagoe, be sure to take a look at the Shingashi River. There you can see another “Little Edo by the River” that was connected to Edo.
