Abstract
During the years from 1872 to 1903, 11 Dutch civil engineers came to Japan, and attained great achievement in the fields of investigation, planning and excution of public works. Especially Johannis de Rijke, who stayed in Japan for almost 30 years, from September 1873 to June 1903, played a very large part in the development of Civil Engineering concerning Hydraulics in Japan. Last year, 51 letters were found which had been written by de Rijke to George Arnold Escher, who had been back to the Nethrland in 1878, during the decade from 1879.
On this study, outlines of their contents and introduction of the persons, administrative organizations, places and projects will be mentioned. This paper will help the study of the development of civil engineering in Japan, and the evaluation of the role of de Rijke's works on the river improvement planning of such rivers as Yodogawa, Kisogawa and Shinanogawa.
