Tone River

The development of the Tone river, stretching 322 kilometers across the southeastern part of Honshu, Japan's largest island, has been one of the nation's most significant engineering achievements. Historically, the river was prone to flooding and shifting its course, so extensive modifications were made over centuries to stabilise it. In the late 19th century, during the Meiji period, the river became an important transportation route, particularly as the region's industrial activity surged. This led to a demand for faster river transport.

In response, Dutch civil engineer Anthonie Rouwenhorst Mulder designed a canal to streamline boat traffic along the river. This canal, completed in 1890, was an 8-kilometre shortcut connecting the Tone river at Funado to the Edogawa river at Nishifukai. At its peak, the canal handled up to 100 ships per day — playing a crucial role in Japan's transportation infrastructure. However, by 1941, with the rise of rail and road transport, the canal's usage sharply declined — marking the end of its significance for daily traffic.

MUSIC BY SUGAI KEN ( FIELD 30 )

This record is based on environmental sounds recorded at three locations, expressing the change in landscape of the Tone river from its source at Mt. Minakami to its flow into the Pacific Ocean. Using regular, binaural and underwater microphones, recordings were taken at sites related to Dutch engineers, namely the Hachiman river erosion control weir, the Tone canal and the Iinuma original benchmark.