Sakuma Dam (at the time of construction)

>>Sakuma Dam Off-line Meeting (January 25, 2004)
>>Photos of the current Sakuma Dam are here.

This special feature page features a website run by a Shizuoka resident, "Cloth and Wood Workshop "Garakuta We have received special permission from the administrator of the "Sakuma Dam" to post some valuable photos taken at the time of the Sakuma Dam's construction. The photos were taken by the manager's father (deceased). The copyright of the photos belongs to the manager and his father of "Cloth and Wood Workshop 'Garakuta'". Therefore, we have included the logo. Once again, we would like to express our gratitude to the manager of the "Cloth and Wood Workshop 'Garakuta'" and his father for allowing us to reproduce the photos. Thank you very much.

Please note that I have not read the Sakuma Dam Construction Journal or other materials, so there may be many errors in the explanatory text. Please understand that there may be many errors.

main construction

It appears to be a temporary construction, but it is unknown.Concrete pouring for the main body work.

View of the levee construction site and temporary drainage tunnel from downstream

Presumably, the tunnel on the left is a temporary drainage tunnel.Then again, the photo above was most likely temporary construction.

Main body construction and dumping

This photo is also thought to be a temporary closing construction.The bonnet-shaped dump trucks are a testament to the era.
A cable crane can also be seen in the upper left corner.

Commencement of concrete pouring celebrated.

This photo was taken when the concrete pouring began. The assembled steel formwork can be seen on the left.
At that time, not many people wore helmets, and it was only under the guidance of Atkinson employees, who were contracted to install the construction equipment, that people finally started wearing helmets. It seems that safety was not a word in dam construction. However, this photo of the start of the hammering shows that everyone was wearing the helmet.

Construction site tours?

There are many buses lined up. However, the dike-like structure that can be seen slightly to the left appears to be not yet completed, so we suspect it is a construction site tour.

Waterlogging

Since the dam has not yet been completed and is still filled with water, it is assumed that water flooding was started while the concrete was being poured in order to generate electricity as early as possible, similar to the construction of the Kurobe Dam.
A small water intake for power generation can be seen on the left.

View of the levee from downstream

This is the Sakuma Dam nearing completion. The concrete is beautiful white. It creates a different atmosphere than now. Also, the gate is fully open.

View of Sakuma Dam and the center of Sakuma Town

The photo was probably taken from the ridge line around Kawai village. Sakuma Dam can be seen on the left and the center of Sakuma Town on the right.

View of the levee from downstream

This photo must have been taken just after its completion. In the past, it seems that visitors were free to look up at the embankment from downstream. It is also incredibly crowded now.

Sakuma Dam Brochure

This is the cover of a Sakuma Dam pamphlet, which is no longer available. The typeface gives a sense of history. I would like to see the inside of the pamphlet.

Sakuma Dam completion commemorative stamp

This stamp commemorates the completion of Sakuma Dam, which is also listed in the Dam Handbook. The fact that a commemorative postage stamp was issued for this project shows that it was a major construction project of the century.