Kohei Shirahama (Manholer)
Shirahama Kohei / Manhole Night Executive Committee Member. Appears on "Tamori Club," "Matsuko's Unknown World," "Pierre Taki 's Shonnai TV," etc. Contributes to the Journal of the Sewerage Works Association and the Journal of the Japan Society of Civil Engineers, etc.
A lid that tells the story of history within reach
Did Tokugawa Ieyasu actually exist? Although he is described in detail in textbooks, this is merely information that someone has researched and left behind, and is not something that one can directly experience. In the extreme, even if someone says he is a fictional character, it is difficult to confirm or deny this because it is difficult to feel a connection to the world we live in today.
In this context, I feel that manhole covers are a part that connects me to history. There are many manhole covers scattered around Tokyo that give you a sense of history within reach, including antique covers that have been around since before the war, and even relatively new covers with painted pictures have a history engraved into them.
Lids in Sendagaya Town, Toyotama County, Tokyo Prefecture
The lid bears the crest of Sendagaya Town, which was abolished when it was incorporated into Tokyo City in 1932. It is well-known among locals, and sweets have even been made with the lid as a motif as a symbol of the town. It is still in use as sewerage equipment.
Address: 4-13-1 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, in front of Takeda Clinic | Map
Lids in Okucho, Kitatoshima District, Tokyo Prefecture
The lid bears the crest of Oku Town, which disappeared when it was incorporated into Tokyo City in 1932. It is made up of nine katakana characters "wo" arranged in a circle, which is pronounced "Ogu." There is a signboard explaining the origins of Oku Town and the lid. It is not an active facility, but was installed as a monument.
Address: 2-5-10 Nishi-Ogu, Arakawa-ku, next to Arakawa-ku Yahata Children's Park | Map
Lid of the Institute for Infectious Diseases, Tokyo Imperial University
The Institute for Infectious Diseases was a private research institute established by Kitasato Shibasaburo with the support of Fukuzawa Yukichi, but later came under government control and became attached to Tokyo Imperial University. The pattern on the lid is of a type known as the "Imperial Large" design, and is thought to date to this period, just like the building itself.
Address: Minato City, Shirokanedai 4-6-2, near the Minato City Local History Museum | map
Lid designed with Astro Boy
The main character Atom and his sister Uran from Tezuka Osamu's masterpiece "Astro Boy" are set to attend Ochanomizu Elementary School, and their adoptive father's name is also Dr. Ochanomizu, so the statues were installed here because of their connection to the area. Three different designs of lids have been installed along the street.
Address: 1-1-1 Kanda Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku, in front of Meiji University Liberty Tower | map
The lid features a design of salmon swimming upstream in the Tama River.
The design comes from the "Come Back Salmon Movement" that was once popular nationwide. Salmon did not originally live in the Tama River, and releasing salmon fry into the river is no longer practiced due to the risk of destroying the ecosystem, but a remnant of this movement remains in the design of the lid.
Address: Ochiai 1-chome, Tama City, near Tama Center Station | map
A lid designed with the Akishima whale
The design is derived from a whale fossil discovered on the banks of the Tama River in 1961. It is said that the area around present-day Tokyo and Chiba, including Akishima City, was an ocean about 2 million years ago, and the Akishima whale that lived there at that time is now the symbol of Akishima City.
Address: 1-17-1 Tanakacho, Akishima City, in front of Akishima City Hall | map
