Straightening construction of the Jinzu River
Source: Toyama Prefectural Government
Toyama City had struggled with flood issues for a long time. At the late Meiji Period, it carried out a hasekoshi (straightening) construction to make a straight river line by utilizing the force of floods. It was a watercourse (current Jinzu river) with a width of 1.5m and depth of 2.0m to draw in water from Jinzu River.
In later years, the winding old river channel was filled in with soil excavated during the construction of the new canal. Thanks to the canal construction, Toyama's economy became bustling by being connected with the port town called Iwase. The canal fell into disuse after the Showa Period, when trucks took over as the main mode of transport from ships. At one point, there were plans to fill it in, but it was reconsidered as one of the few waterfront spaces in urban areas.