Where the Valley Has Greened
The Kuwatani No. 10 Sabo Dam (桑谷第十号砂防堰堤) is a sabo dam in a valley where the woods have recovered of 1920 in Kuwano, Miyagawacho, Hida City, Gifu Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on March 29, 2019 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a stone dam 23 metres long and 4.5 metres high, with a sub-dam; registration number 21-277.
Where the Valley Has Greened
The Kuwatani sabo dams are stone erosion-control dams built in 1920 and 1921 on the Kuwatani, a stream of the Miyagawa in the Jinzu River system; 5 of them are registered (Agency for Cultural Affairs; Gifu Prefecture). From downstream they run No. 5, No. 1, No. 2, No. 10 and No. 6.
Kuwatani No. 10, 220 metres above No. 2, was built in 1920 and enlarged between 1955 and 1964 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It is 23 metres long and 4.5 metres high, raised in dry stone masonry at a batter of 1 to 1, with a mortared sub-dam in front.
It sits well in the middle of the valley, where the check on sediment has let the vegetation recover, and so shows what the sabo works achieved (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape.
What to Look For
At Kuwatani No. 10, look for the dry-stone wall and the recovered green of the middle valley around it (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
The dams are sabo (erosion-control) works owned by Gifu Prefecture, in the valley of the Kuwatani stream at Kuwano, Miyagawacho, Hida (Agency for Cultural Affairs). No official information on visits was found. The 5 dams are introduced together on the Kuwatani Sabo Dams page.
Q&A
- When was it built?
- In 1920, enlarged between 1955 and 1964.
- Where is it?
- 220 metres above No. 2.
- How big is it?
- 23 metres long, 4.5 metres high.
- What does it show?
- The effect of the sabo works.
- When was the Kuwatani No. 10 Sabo Dam registered?
- On March 29, 2019 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Kuwatani No. 10 Sabo Dam (桑谷第十号砂防堰堤) |
|---|---|
| Location | Kuwano, Miyagawacho, Hida City, Gifu Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2019/03/29 (Heisei 31) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Stone dam, 23 m long, 4.5 m high, with sub-dam |
| Owner | Gifu Prefecture |
| Public Access | No official information on visits |
References
- Kuwatani No. 10 Sabo Dam (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00012743
- Cultural Properties among Sabo Works (Gifu Prefecture, in Japanese)
- https://www.pref.gifu.lg.jp/shakai-kiban/kasen/sabo/11653/bunkazai.html
Last verified: 2026.10.31
