Rokurodani Sabo Dams

The Rokurodani Sabo Dams

The Rokurodani Sabo Dams (六郎谷砂防堰堤) are two dams built in 1921 in the Rokurodani valley, a side stream of the Takahara River in the Jinzu River system, at Kamioka in Hida City, Gifu; they were registered as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on March 29, 2019 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

By guarding the core of the Kamioka Mine downstream from debris flows, they supported the heavy industry of modern Japan (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Two Dry-Stone Dams

The lower No. 1 dam is 43 metres long and 5.5 metres high, its body raised in dry stone at a batter of 1 in 1.6. The No. 2 dam, 110 metres upstream, is a dry-stone dam 49 metres long, originally 6.1 metres high (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Most of the No. 2 dam is now buried in sediment, with only the top 1 to 2 metres showing, a plain record of how sabo works do their job under harsh conditions (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Each dam is described on its own page.

Visiting

The dams are owned by Gifu Prefecture (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The prefecture's sabo division also lists them (updated April 1, 2026), but no information on visiting or access was found.