DESIGN DETAILS AND CONSTRUCTION PROCESS OF THE MIKUNI PORT JETTY —FOCUSING ON THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF ESCHER, DE RIJKE, FURUICHI—

Abstract

 The Mikuni port jetty is a pioneering practice as a modern Japanese port and designated as an Important Cultural Property. However, the design details are not revealed due to undiscovered the design drawing by Escher, a Dutch civil engineer, who is a designer of the original proposal for the Mikuni port jetty. This paper has discovered the original design drawing by Escher; moreover tries to explore the design details and construction process of the Mikuni port jetty, with several historical documents including design drawings by De Rijke and Koi Furuichi, who took over Escher’s design and implemented the project. In the first phase from 1876 to 1880, Escher and De Rijke designed and led the project. At the time of the opening ceremony in 1880, the Mikuni port jetty worked well as a training dike; however not enough working as a breakwater. Therefore Mikuni port jetty has not completely prevented damage caused by large waves and storms. Finally, in the second phase, Koi Furuichi revised the design which led to the function as a breakwater completed in 1882.