ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses rivers in medieval England was centred on developing them as sources of power rather than as waterways. Rivers were dammed to create water heads to turn the wheels of the flour mills, and weirs were constructed to provide the pounds for trapping fish. It focuses on how the Thames waterways and canals had contributed greatly to the development of the Industrial Revolution and the expansion of London. Tokugawa Ieyasu diverted the Tone River in stages towards the east, separating it from the Ara River to protect Edo from floods. The Minuma, which is a part of Saitama City in Saitama Prefecture adjacent to Metropolis Tokyo, suffered a drop in its water level when the Tone River was diverted. The Minuma Barge Canal, which successfully helped overcome the 3-metre water level difference, became the most important means of transporting produce and other goods to and from Edo and the Minuma region.
