Water was the engine of Shuseikan, and the Sekiyoshi sluice gate is part of the story of how it was supplied. The factory complex that Shimazu Nariakira founded in the 1850s on the shore of Kagoshima Bay needed power for its machinery, and the answer was a canal that carried water from a river in the hills north of the city. The sluice gate controlling the flow still survives, a modest stone structure beside a stream, and it forms part of the World Heritage listing of Meiji industrial sites.
It is not a spectacular place, and that is part of its charm. The surroundings are quiet suburban hills, with small fields, tea bushes and woods of cedar and camphor. You can stand by the channel and listen to the water, thinking of the workers who built the system with hand tools, long before modern machinery. The Satsuma domain was determined to catch up with Western technology, partly in response to the shock of the British bombardment of Kagoshima in 1863, and projects like this show the pace of that ambition.
The roads to the site are narrow, often only one lane wide, with sharp corners and little signage, so a motorcyclist should go slowly and expect to meet local cars. The soil here is volcanic, and ash from Sakurajima settles on the surface after eruptions, which makes roads slick when damp. Tall bamboo groves and old stone walls line the lanes, and the light under the trees is green and soft.
Kagoshima is the nearest city, about seven kilometres away, with plenty of fuel and food. This is a place to visit in the morning, when it is calm and cool, or late in the afternoon. Wear sensible shoes if you plan to walk along the channel. In the rainy season, from late May to June, the paths can be slippery. A short stop here adds depth to a day of exploring the bay's industrial history.