160904-0036 - Water Works

Japanese workers creating traditional bamboo gabions, called Takejakago (竹蛇籠).

These were filled with stones and used for erosion control in rivers, often to weigh down wooden structures called Seigyu (聖牛). These structures were placed in the river slightly removed from the river bank to control the flow of the water.

Takejakago have a long history in Japan and were mentioned in the Kojiki, an early Japanese chronicle of myths and semi-historical accounts going back as far as the 7th century.