About the Akatan Sabo Matsugahana Dam
The Akatan Sabo Matsugahana Dam (アカタン砂防松ヶ端堰堤, Akatan Sabō Matsugahana Entei) is a dry-stone 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.
The Matsugahana Dam (松ヶ端堰堤) lies about 520 meters below the Obiraguchi Dam and carries registration number 18-0032. It is the first dam below the five in the Obira section. About 160 meters farther down is the Oku-no-Higashi Dam.
It measures 27 meters across the crest and rises 7.0 meters at a batter of 1.0 to 1, all in mortarless dry-stone masonry. At its left end is a spillway notch, and from it a stone training wall 24 meters long runs off at a right angle. The Japan Civil Engineering Consultants Association features it as "Dam No. 6, Matsugahana."
Why It Was Registered
The Akatan Sabo Matsugahana Dam was registered in 2004 for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as solidly built, with the spillway placed at the left end where bedrock is exposed and a training wall joined to it at a right angle.
Pushing the spillway to one side of the valley, the side with hard rock, is a principle that runs through the Akatan stone dams. Falling water strikes rock and is guided downstream by the wall, so it cannot eat into the soil banks or undercut the dam's own foot. At Matsugahana you can see the arrangement more clearly than almost anywhere else in the group.
What to Look For
Stand before the Akatan Sabo Matsugahana Dam and the first thing you notice is the size of the stones. Huge boulders, the ones the engineering association chose to photograph, are built into the wall, which lies across the valley like a barricade.
A feature by the Minamiechizen tourism association likens the stonework to a turtle's shell. Natural stones, left unsplit, are laid on their sides, and each one is ringed by six or seven neighbors. No soil fills the joints, so when the stream rises the water drains through the gaps. Trace the pattern up close and a near-hexagonal net emerges.
Walk around to the downstream side to see how the spillway and training wall fit together at the left end.
Visiting
The Akatan Sabo Matsugahana Dam is about 3 minutes' walk up the trail from the Oku-no-Higashi Dam, according to the Minamiechizen tourism association. It can be walked in one stretch with Dam No. 9, Dam No. 8 and Oku-no-Higashi below it. Expect steps and slopes, wear sturdy shoes, and keep off the crest and stone faces.
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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Q&A
- Where is the Akatan Sabo Matsugahana Dam?
- On the Akatani River in Furuki, Minamiechizen, Fukui Prefecture, about 520 meters below the Obiraguchi Dam and about 160 meters above the Oku-no-Higashi Dam, roughly 3 minutes' walk from the latter.
- How big is the Akatan Sabo Matsugahana Dam?
- It is a dry-stone dam 27 meters long at the crest and 7.0 meters high, with a batter of 1.0 to 1 and a 24-meter stone training wall joined at a right angle to the spillway at its left end.
- Why does the stonework of the Akatan Sabo Matsugahana Dam look like a turtle shell?
- Unsplit natural stones are laid on their sides with each ringed by six or seven others, creating a near-hexagonal pattern. The joints hold no soil, so floodwater drains through.
- Why is the Akatan Sabo Matsugahana Dam a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered in 2004 as a solidly built sabo work of 1897 to 1906, with its spillway set against exposed bedrock and a training wall at a right angle.
- When can I visit the Akatan Sabo Matsugahana Dam?
- From April through November; the trail is closed to visitors in winter.
Basic Information
| Name | Akatan Sabo Matsugahana Dam |
|---|---|
| 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 27 meters, height 7.0 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 Matsugahana Dam
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004235
- 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
