Former Shogisan Distribution Reservoir

A Covered Reservoir on Mount Shogisan

The Former Shogisan Distribution Reservoir (旧床几山配水池) is a concrete distribution reservoir of 1917 in Agenogi, Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on April 18, 2008 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records a concrete structure covering 1191 square metres; registration number 32-0072.

Two Basins Divided by an Inspection Passage

The reservoir was built on the summit of Mount Shogisan, about 3.5 kilometres north of the Imbe water treatment plant (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The concrete structure measures 37 metres by 32 metres, east-west and north-south. A central inspection passage splits it into east and west chambers, each roofed with a row of barrel vaults, and the passage entrance is faced with a stone-clad wall.

Records from the time it opened describe two basins, each 90 shaku (27.27 metres) long, 50 shaku (15.15 metres) wide and 11 shaku 5 sun (3.48 metres) deep, holding 2,383 cubic metres between them (Matsue City Waterworks Bureau). Five guide walls inside kept the water from going stagnant, and the full water level stood at 31.21 metres above sea level.

The basins were begun in April 1915 and the main work finished in July 1916. Drainage pipes laid in December 1917 completed the preparations for taking water (Matsue City Waterworks Bureau).

Why It Was Registered

The Agency counts the reservoir among the facilities of Matsue's original water system and registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape. A Matsue City report adds that, while the pump house and other buildings were replaced, the reservoir itself survives largely as it was built.

What to Look For

Start at the entrance to the inspection passage. In an otherwise plain concrete structure, this is the one place given a formal face, a wall clad in stone (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The roof is a row of barrel vaults laid side by side over the basins, a cover that kept rain and debris out of water stored on an open hilltop. The passage runs between the two chambers so that keepers could check the water.

Visiting

The reservoir occupies the middle of the park, and the stone-clad wall at the passage entrance can be seen from the grounds. No official information on access to the basins was found.