Fukuoka: Triple Waterwheel Starts Operating for This Season

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:53 JST, July 8, 2023

ASAKURA, Fukuoka — A triple waterwheel in Asakura, Fukuoka Prefecture, that is said to be the oldest working waterwheel in Japan has begun operations for this year.

It is believed to have been built in 1789 to pump water to farmland after a drought.

The triple waterwheel is designated as a national historic site and is still used to water farmland.

The three waterwheels were damaged in torrential rains in 2017, but they were back in operation a month later, encouraging local residents as a symbol of recovery.

A ceremony was held on June 17 as the waterwheels began to feed water from the Chikugo River into the Horikawa irrigation canal. They will be in operation through late October.