Alongside the Shinkawa is the 800 meter former ShinkawaHokusen, 266.7 meters of which
were completed in 1981 with another 510 meters added in 1985. 226 dogwood trees and 9426
Kirishima azaleas line the road, named 'Columbus Street' after Kiryuu's international
sister city, Columbus, Georgia.
The Shinkawa, which links the Watarase and Kiryuu rivers, was dug around 1350 in the
Nanbokucho period to protect KiryuKunitsuna. Used as a waterway since around 1573, it is
said to have been named the Shinkawa in the Meiji period. Typhoon Cathleen caused major
damage to Misou in 1947.
When the road was opened to the public, the river became a culvert, and Shinkawa bridge
in front of Chuo Park (formerly Shinkawa baseball field), Honmachi Street's Seiun bridge,
the Kiryuu and Johban bridges downstream, and the Nakadohri Line's Anrakudo-bridge all
disappeared.
Columbus city is one of the roughly 40 independent bodies in the U.S. bearing the name
of Genova, Italy's Christopher Columbus (1451 - 1506), discoverer of the New World. 1992
marked the 500th anniversary since the founding of the new continent. Over the centuries,
more than 60 different events have been held on or around Columbus Day (October 12) to
commemorate the momentous event. |
