Tsūjun Bridge (通潤橋) is an arch bridge completed in 1854 and is the largest stone aqueduct in Japan, built to transfer water to an isolated plateau in the Yabe area. It is a symbol of Kumamoto. The builders used a sagging method, with each end higher than the center, to save on material cost. The problem was that sediment built up in the center, so sluice openings at its lowest point were installed to periodically flush the aqueduct.
Heavily damaged during the quakes and a subsequent flood, repair work has now been completed, and it will again act as intended, with water beginning to flow again for the first time in three years on April 19th. - William