02 : Shimizu Port as a River Port

The Tomoe River rises in the valleys north of Asahata-pond in Shizuoka and meanders toward Shimizu Port, a short, gently flowing waterway approximately 18 kilometers in length with a total fall of about 8 meters. Historically, this river—augmented by canal works and overland roads—formed a logistics corridor linking Sumpu Castle and its castle town to the sea.

After Tokugawa Ieyasu retired as shōgun and took up residence at Sumpu Castle in 1607, he ordered the mouth of the Tomoe River to be dredged and made of uniform width. Although the works were difficult, excavations are said to have proceeded upstream over six years, rendering the channel navigable as a canal. In this sense, Shimizu functioned as the port of Sumpu Castle and of the provincial capital of Suruga Province , serving as an economic hub—a role that Shimizu Port continues to play as one of the key centers in central Japan today.