A Smaller Dam in the Middle of the Sequence
Jinnosuke Valley No. 18 Sabo Dam is an erosion-control dam of 1933 in the middle reaches of the Jinnosuke Valley at Hakumine, Hakusan City, Ishikawa Prefecture, listed on 23 February 2012 as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property. It measures 24.0 metres across and 4.5 metres high, and it sits between the No. 16 and No. 19 dams in the stepped sequence.
It is one of the smaller dams in the valley. Size here was set by the width of the ravine and the state of the bed, so a short dam means the walls closed in at this point. What it lacks in presence it keeps in function: the staircase needs each tread at a regular interval, and if Jinnosuke Valley No. 18 Sabo Dam gave way, the footing of the No. 19 dam above would go with it.
Why It Was Listed
Sabo work on Hakusan became a directly managed national project in 1927, and this dam followed six years later, the year before the flood of 1934 that killed 97 people along the Tedori River. The national record notes that it has suffered relatively little damage and holds its original form. Jinnosuke Valley No. 18 Sabo Dam was listed as a structure in which the technique of the early national works can still be read.
Registration is a notification-based form of protection, lighter than and separate from designation. The dam qualified as a structure contributing to the historic landscape of the country. In 2004 the Japan Society of Civil Engineers certified the stepped dams of this valley as a Civil Engineering Heritage site.
The Spillway and Its Eave
The body is mortared rubble, local stone bedded with mortar in the joints. The spillway is cut as an inverted trapezoid opening upward, and the coping along its lip projects slightly forward to form a small eave that throws the falling water clear of the face. The detail belongs only to the earliest dams of the national works on this mountain.
At 24.0 metres by 4.5 metres, this is a modest structure by the standards of the valley. Because so little has broken away, though, the projection of the coping and the angle of the spillway remain as built. Smaller dams took less punishment, and less punishment meant less rebuilding.
Visiting
Jinnosuke Valley No. 18 Sabo Dam is a working structure and cannot be walked on. No platform or interpretive panel has been built beside it. Seeing it means taking the Sabo Shindo trail from Bettodeai and looking down where the slope opens towards the valley. Being small, it is easiest to find by counting from the dams above and below it.
Nothing prohibits photography. The slope is one of the largest active landslides in Japan and repair work is close to continuous, and the streambed is not somewhere to descend to. Directions, seasonal car restrictions, the compulsory climbing plan and the museum in Hakumine are covered on the Jinnosuke Valley Sabo Works page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Ishikawa
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Jinnosuke Valley No. 18 Sabo Dam
- [ Kenrokuen Garden & Kanazawa Craft Experiences ]
Q&A
- When was Jinnosuke Valley No. 18 Sabo Dam built?
- In 1933, the year before the 1934 flood on the Tedori River.
- How big is Jinnosuke Valley No. 18 Sabo Dam?
- It is 24.0 metres long and 4.5 metres high, one of the smaller dams in the stepped group.
- Where does Jinnosuke Valley No. 18 Sabo Dam sit?
- Between the No. 16 and No. 19 dams, in the middle reaches of the Jinnosuke Valley at Hakumine, Hakusan City.
- Can I visit Jinnosuke Valley No. 18 Sabo Dam?
- There are no opening hours or fees and the dam cannot be walked on. The public approach is the Sabo Shindo trail from Bettodeai.
- What should I look for at Jinnosuke Valley No. 18 Sabo Dam?
- How much of the original survives. The projection of the coping and the cut of the spillway are as they were built.
Basic Information
| Name | Jinnosuke Valley No. 18 Sabo Dam |
|---|---|
| Location | Hakumine, Hakusan City, Ishikawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2012/02/23 (Heisei 24) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | 24.0 metres long, 4.5 metres high |
| Owner | Ishikawa Prefecture |
| Public Access | Working structure in the open; distant views from the trail only |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009152
- Kanazawa River and National Highway Office: Fifteen Facilities Listed as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties
- https://www.hrr.mlit.go.jp/kanazawa/hakusansabo/03history/touroku.html
- Kanazawa River and National Highway Office: History of the Hakusan Sabo Project
- https://www.hrr.mlit.go.jp/kanazawa/hakusansabo/03history/history01.html
- Kanazawa River and National Highway Office: Civil Engineering Heritage Certification
- https://www.hrr.mlit.go.jp/kanazawa/hakusansabo/03history/isan01.html
- Ishikawa Prefecture: Traffic Restrictions during the Hakusan Climbing Season
- https://www.pref.ishikawa.lg.jp/hakusan/tozaninf/peak2.html
- Ishikawa Prefecture: Mandatory Submission of Climbing Plans for Hakusan
- https://www.pref.ishikawa.lg.jp/bousai/bousai_g/hakusan_kazan/jorei.html
Last verified: 2026.09.17
