Ajigawa River

It is a branch of the old Yodogawa River, which runs through Osaka City from northeast to southwest. It stretches 6.34 km long and 158 m wide from the western end of Nakanoshima in Kita Ward to Osaka Bay. The lower 2 km of the river is the Ajigawa Inner Port, which is 500 m wide. It is an artificial river that was created in 1684 (Jokyo 1) by order of the shogunate, when Kawamura Zuiken excavated Kujojima, which was meandering downstream of the Yodogawa River at the time, as a flood control measure. Since its excavation, it has contributed not only to flood control but also to water transportation, bringing prosperity to the commercial city of Naniwa. During that time, dredging of the riverbed was frequently carried out, and the resulting soil was used to build Namiyokeyama and Tempozan (the former site has been turned into a park). When the port of Osaka was opened in 1868 (Meiji 1), Kawaguchi Wharf and Customs House (customs office) were established along this river, but with the construction of Osaka Port at the head of Osaka Bay, it came to be valued as a waterway connecting the port with the city area. After World War II, as part of the restoration project for Osaka Port, plans were made for inner harbors downstream of each river, and the Ajigawa Inner Harbour was created. Currently, the right bank is home to the Osaka Central Wholesale Market, as well as large factories such as Sumitomo Chemical and Nippon Steel, and the left bank is home to warehouses and grain storage silos, all of which are connected by the Ajigawa Ohashi Bridge.

[Juichi Inoki]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

大阪市内を北東から南西に貫流する旧淀川(よどがわ)下流の一分流。北区中之島西端から大阪湾に至る延長6.34キロメートル、幅員158メートル。うち下流部約2キロメートルは安治川内港で幅員500メートル。1684年（貞享1）幕命を受けた河村瑞賢(ずいけん)が治水対策として、当時蛇行する淀川下流の九条島(くじょうじま)を開削してつくった人工河川である。開削以来治水のみならず水運にも寄与し、商都浪華(なにわ)の繁栄をもたらした。その間、河底の土砂の浚渫(しゅんせつ)がたびたび行われ、その盛り土で波除山(なみよけやま)や天保山(てんぽうざん)が築かれた（跡地は公園化）。1868年（明治1）大阪開港に際しこの川筋に川口波止場、同運上所（税関）が設けられたが、やがて大阪湾頭の大阪港築造に伴い、同港と市街地を結ぶ水路として重視された。第二次世界大戦後は大阪港の復興事業として、各河川下流の内港計画が進められ、安治川内港ができた。現在、右岸に大阪中央卸売市場のほか、住友化学、日本製鉄などの大工場、左岸には倉庫群、穀物貯蔵サイロなどが立地し、安治川大橋で結ばれている。

［位野木壽一］

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