About the Akatan Sabo Dam No. 9
The Akatan Sabo Dam No. 9 (アカタン砂防九号堰堤, Akatan Sabō Kyūgō Entei) is an earth-fill check dam on the Akatani River in Furuki, Minamiechizen, Fukui Prefecture, built between 1897 and 1906 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on July 23, 2004.
Dam No. 9 lies about 700 meters below Dam No. 8 and is the lowest of the nine Akatan Sabo Dams. Its registration number is 18-0035.
It is an earth embankment 72 meters across and 6.0 meters high, with a downstream face at a batter of 1.6 to 1, and a dry-stone training wall 68 meters long joined to its left end. Walking up the Akatani valley, it is the first dam you meet, and the Japan Civil Engineering Consultants Association notes that its cedar-covered slope blends so well into the terrain that it is easy to mistake for a natural hillside.
Why It Was Registered
The Akatan Sabo Dam No. 9 was registered in 2004 for its contribution to the historic landscape, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs looks less at the structure itself than at the land on either side of it.
Upstream, sediment trapped by the dam built up into a flat, and that flat was turned into rice paddies. Downstream, the face of the embankment was planted with trees. Silt that once threatened the valley became farmland, and the dam itself became woodland. The agency sees this as a plain demonstration of sabo works overcoming disaster, which makes this dam a piece of landscape as much as a piece of engineering. Fukui Prefecture's account records a tradition that the earth dams were rammed firm by women working in large groups with poles, a method called senbon-tsuki.
What to Look For
At the Akatan Sabo Dam No. 9, compare the two sides. Upstream lie rice fields; downstream the cedar slope falls away. The 6.0-meter bank divides the land into two levels with two different uses.
The 68-meter training wall reaching out from the left end keeps a crisp stone line, the surest sign that this is a built bank and not a natural rise. Use that line and the straight edge of the crest to pick out the shape of the dam beneath the trees.
Visiting
The Akatan Sabo Dam No. 9 is about 10 minutes' walk along the trail from the information board near Retreat Takura, according to the Minamiechizen tourism association. It is the closest of the nine, so even a short visit can take it in. The surrounding rice fields are farmland; stay on the trail and off the paddies and their banks.
The trail is open to visitors from April through November and closed in winter. Directions and parking are on the Akatan Sabo Dams page.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Akatan Sabo Dam No. 9
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Q&A
- Where is the Akatan Sabo Dam No. 9, and how long is the walk?
- On the Akatani River in Furuki, Minamiechizen, Fukui Prefecture. It is the lowest of the nine Akatan dams, about 10 minutes' walk from the information board near Retreat Takura.
- How big is the Akatan Sabo Dam No. 9?
- It is an earth dam 72 meters long and 6.0 meters high, with a 68-meter dry-stone training wall joined to its left end.
- Why are there rice fields above the Akatan Sabo Dam No. 9?
- Sediment trapped by the dam built up into a flat on the upstream side, which was then turned into paddies. The downstream face was planted with trees.
- Why is the Akatan Sabo Dam No. 9 a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered in 2004 as an earth dam of 1897 to 1906 whose paddies upstream and planted slope downstream show how the sabo works tamed the valley.
- When can I visit the Akatan Sabo Dam No. 9?
- From April through November; the trail is closed to visitors in winter.
Basic Information
| Name | Akatan Sabo Dam No. 9 |
|---|---|
| Location | Furuki, Minamiechizen, Nanjo District, Fukui Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2004/7/23 (Heisei 16) |
| Quantity | 1 dam |
| Dimensions | Crest length 72 meters, height 6.0 meters, with stone training wall |
| Owner | Fukui Prefecture |
| Public Access | Exterior only, from the walking trail; closed in winter |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Akatan Sabo Dam No. 9
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004238
- Cultural Heritage Online: アカタン砂防九号堰堤
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/140008
- Fukui Prefecture, Sabo Division: Akatan Sabo Dams
- https://www.pref.fukui.lg.jp/doc/sabo/akatan.html
- Fukui Prefecture: Akatan Sabo Dams leaflet (PDF)
- https://www.pref.fukui.lg.jp/doc/sabo/akatan_d/fil/akatan.pdf
- Japan Civil Engineering Consultants Association: Akatan Sabo
- https://www.jcca.or.jp/dobokuisan/japan/hokuriku/akatan.html
- Minamiechizen Tourism: Akatan Sabo and Kokuratanigawa Sabo dams
- https://www.minamiechizen.com/feature/66243/
Last verified: 2026.09.26
