The First Dam on the Dōdōgawa
Dodogawa No. 1 Sunadome (堂々川一番砂留, Dōdōgawa Ichiban Sunadome) is a late Edo-period stone check dam in Yuno, Kannabe-chō, Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 3 August 2006.
It is the lowest of the historic sand-retaining dams on the Dōdōgawa stream, which is why the numbering starts here. At 9.6 metres long and 3.2 metres high it looks almost modest beside No. 6 upstream, which is 56 metres long and 13 metres high.
There is a reason for that. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, what survives is only the east wing of the dam as first built, one end of a barrier that once crossed the channel. Its registration number is 34-0075, and it belongs to the national government through the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
Why It Was Registered
The criterion, shared by all eight registered Dōdōgawa dams, is contribution to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency singles out Dodogawa No. 1 Sunadome as a valuable remnant of a stone dam that reaches back to the early modern period.
It is a gravity dam: dry masonry that resists the push of sediment by weight alone. The lower wall is built of large granite blocks laid without mortar, Karazumi style, and set in level courses in the Nunozumi manner. Split stones are stacked in steps on top.
The Agency dates the original work to the late Edo period, between 1751 and 1829, and records an extension in the Meiji era, between 1868 and 1911. The two phases are easy to tell apart: broad granite blocks with long horizontal joints below, smaller split stones climbing in tiers above. It is tempting to read the upper steps as the Meiji addition, but the Agency does not date the individual parts.
What to Look For, and What Is Still Unknown
Of all the Dōdōgawa dams, No. 1 is the closest to houses. The Dōdōgawa Hotaru Dōkōkai, the residents' group that looks after the valley, notes that several metres of its base are buried and probably rest on bedrock, and that a patch of masonry at the lower right of the lower tier has never been dated.
The group also cites a village gazetteer of 1882 recording twelve sand dams in the Nakajō area by 1738, and suggests No. 1 was one of them. That is an inference rather than a documented date, but it is why locals speak of this small fragment as a candidate for the oldest dam in the valley.
Accounts of what survives differ. The group says the side sections were built of earth and washed away, leaving the central masonry, which does not match the Agency's description of a surviving east wing. This article follows the Agency.
One practical caution: the group reports that a different stone dam, which it calls Sakoyama Sunadome, is often mistaken for No. 1. Sakoyama is not one of the eight registered dams.
Visiting
Dodogawa No. 1 Sunadome is an open-air river structure with no admission charge and no booking. You view it from the bank; stay off the crest and the spillway. No official photography restrictions are published.
As the last dam in the chain, it is the farthest from Dōdō Park, about 770 metres below No. 6, and is quicker to reach from the Yuno side of the valley.
The contrast between the two tiers reads best from an angle rather than head-on, and best of all in winter when the grass has died back. Directions and parking are covered on the Dodogawa Sunadome group page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Hiroshima
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Dodogawa No. 1 Sunadome (Stone Check Dam)
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Q&A
- Where is Dodogawa No. 1 Sunadome?
- In Yuno, Kannabe-chō, Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture. It is the lowest of the historic dams on the Dōdōgawa, about 770 metres downstream of No. 6.
- When was Dodogawa No. 1 Sunadome built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Edo period, between 1751 and 1829, with an extension in the Meiji era, between 1868 and 1911. No record gives an exact year.
- Why is Dodogawa No. 1 Sunadome so much smaller than the other dams?
- Only the east wing of the original dam survives, according to the Agency. The 9.6-metre length and 3.2-metre height describe that fragment, not the full barrier.
- Can you visit Dodogawa No. 1 Sunadome, and is there a fee?
- Yes. It is an open-air structure you can view from the bank at any time, free and without booking. Do not climb onto the crest or spillway.
- Is Dodogawa No. 1 Sunadome the same as Sakoyama Sunadome?
- No. The local Dōdōgawa Hotaru Dōkōkai says Sakoyama is a separate stone dam that people often confuse with No. 1, and it is not among the eight registered dams.
Basic Information
| Name | Dodogawa No. 1 Sunadome (堂々川一番砂留) |
|---|---|
| Location | Totodani, Yuno, Kannabe-cho, Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2006/8/3 (Heisei 18) |
| Quantity | 1 dam |
| Dimensions | Length 9.6 metres, height 3.2 metres |
| Owner | Government of Japan (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism) |
| Public Access | Outdoors; open at all times, free of charge |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Dodogawa No. 1 Sunadome
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005660
- Fukuyama City: Dodogawa No. 1 Sunadome (Japanese)
- https://www.city.fukuyama.hiroshima.jp/soshiki/bunka/64272.html
- Dodogawa Hotaru Dokokai: The Sunadome of the Dodogawa (Japanese)
- https://dodogawa.com/sunadome.php
Last verified: 2026.09.24
