【Discover the Feature Exhibition】 Water and Life

Commemorating the Centennial of Fukuoka City Waterworks

Water and Life

January 17th (Tue.) ~ March 26th (Sun.), 2023

Feature Exhibition Room 4

Painting depicts water vendors in the Meiji period

Fukuoka City began supplying water to residents on March 1st, 1923, the 41st year of the Taisho period, with the completion of a series of facilities that included the Hirao filtration plant and Magaribuchi Dam, both built upstream of the Muromi River. In the year 2023, the 5th year of the Reiwa period, marks the 100th anniversary of the start of the Fukuoka City waterworks project.

Excavations have revealed that wells have been used in communities in the Fukuoka Plain since the Yayoi Period (c.800BCE - 250CE). Numerous wells have also been found at the ruins of Hakata, which was an international trading port during the Middle Ages. During the Meiji period (1868-1912), since the water quality in some places in the Hakata area was poor due to the high concentration of salt, Fukuoka city constructed a well in Higashi Park in Hakata Ward, and water vendors sold water to individual homes.

The city waterworks enabled many people to secure a high quality water supply which dramatically changed their way of life. Unfortunately, Fukuoka City was often plagued by water shortages due to the lack of large rivers in the surrounding area. However, the water supply from the Chikugo River and the completion of the Gokayama Dam stabilized the water situation.

This exhibition displays tools used for well and water pipe maintenance, as well as photographs showing the history of the waterworks projects in the area.

Exhibition view