A brick intake tower from 1906
The Shimonoseki City Waterworks Bureau Utsui No. 1 Reservoir Intake Tower is a brick intake tower built in 1906 at the southern end of Utsui No. 1 Reservoir in Utsuikami, Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on January 16, 1998. Its round shaft rises straight out of the water and carries a small brick housing on top.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records the structure as brick, 23.1 metres high, with an inner diameter of 3.0 metres at the top. The same database's description, and the city's own page, give about 20 metres including the submerged part, so the sources measure it differently. Either way, most of the tower is under water.
It was part of the original works that brought piped water to Shimonoseki in 1906. Water drawn here travels about 12 kilometres to the Takao and Hiyoriyama purification plants.
Why it was registered
The Shimonoseki City Waterworks Bureau Utsui No. 1 Reservoir Intake Tower was registered under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency's note stresses that it dates from the founding of the waterworks and is widely valued as a record of how everyday life in the city modernised.
Utsui No. 1 Reservoir is, in the city's words, the first water store built for Shimonoseki, and this tower is what gives it its character. When the city lists the nine waterworks structures registered in 1998, this is the one it names first.
What to look for
Look first at the top of the Utsui No. 1 intake tower. The brick shaft is capped with a band of granite, and the brick housing sits on that. Red brick against pale stone reads clearly even across the water.
The roof of the housing was altered in 1973. The shaft and housing walls are still the Meiji brickwork, but the roofline you see belongs to a later repair.
Upstream at No. 2 Reservoir stands an intake tower in reinforced concrete from 1929. Seeing the two in one visit shows how quickly materials and taste in waterworks design changed within about twenty years.
Visiting the tower
The Shimonoseki City Waterworks Bureau Utsui No. 1 Reservoir Intake Tower is part of a working water supply and cannot be entered. The city's tour arrangements by advance application cover only the Waterworks Archive Room and the Takao plant, so this tower is seen from around the reservoir.
Because the Utsui No. 1 intake tower stands at the southern end of the reservoir, the southern bank gives the clearest view of the shaft and housing together. How much of the shaft shows depends on the water level. Keep out of restricted areas and photograph only from places open to the public.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Yamaguchi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Shimonoseki City Waterworks Bureau Utsui No. 1 Reservoir Intake Tower
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Q&A
- Can you go inside the Shimonoseki City Waterworks Bureau Utsui No. 1 Reservoir Intake Tower?
- No. The tower is an operating waterworks structure, and the city's advance-application tours cover only the Waterworks Archive Room and the Takao plant. It is seen from around the reservoir.
- When and why was the Utsui No. 1 Reservoir Intake Tower built?
- It was built in 1906 as part of the original Shimonoseki waterworks, to draw water from the reservoir for the Takao and Hiyoriyama purification plants about 12 kilometres away.
- How tall is the Utsui No. 1 Reservoir Intake Tower?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs gives 23.1 metres in its structural data, while its description and the city give about 20 metres including the underwater part. The inner diameter at the top is 3.0 metres.
- What is the Utsui No. 1 Reservoir Intake Tower made of?
- Brick, with a granite band at the top of the shaft and a brick housing above. The housing roof was altered in 1973.
- When did the Utsui No. 1 Reservoir Intake Tower become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on January 16, 1998, together with eight other Shimonoseki waterworks structures.
Basic Information
| Name | Shimonoseki City Waterworks Bureau Utsui No. 1 Reservoir Intake Tower |
|---|---|
| Location | 356-9 Saruyama, Utsuikami, Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered January 16, 1998 |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Brick; height 23.1 m; upper inner diameter 3.0 m |
| Owner | Shimonoseki City |
| Public Access | Exterior only (interior closed) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Utsui No. 1 Reservoir Intake Tower
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00000480
- Shimonoseki City: Registered Tangible Cultural Properties of the Waterworks (Japanese)
- https://www.city.shimonoseki.lg.jp/site/water/5626.html
- Shimonoseki City: Waterworks Facilities (Japanese)
- https://www.city.shimonoseki.lg.jp/site/water/5618.html
Last verified: 2026.09.27
