The One with a Bridge in Front of It
Jinnosuke Valley No. 13 Sabo Dam is an erosion-control dam of 1932 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 30.5 metres across and 5.5 metres high, and it stands on the gravel trapped by the No. 12 dam below.
One thing sets it apart from the other ten dams in the valley. A road bridge crosses directly in front of it, so the whole face can be seen square on, and the national record singles out that visibility. Most of the dams here can only be caught at an angle. Jinnosuke Valley No. 13 Sabo Dam is the one whose shape can actually be read.
Why It Was Listed
Sabo work on Hakusan became a directly managed national project in 1927, and this dam followed five years later. It predates the flood of 1934, which killed 97 people along the Tedori River, and it has been working ever since. Jinnosuke Valley No. 13 Sabo Dam was listed because it carries the planning and technique of the early national scheme intact.
Registration is a lighter, notification-based form of protection, separate from the permit-based designation system. This dam qualified as a structure contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Japan Society of Civil Engineers certified the stepped dams of this valley as a Civil Engineering Heritage site in 2004.
The Spillway and Its Eave
The body is mortared rubble, stone quarried in the valley with mortar in the joints. The spillway is cut as an inverted trapezoid that widens upward, and the coping stones at its lip project forward a little, forming a slight eave that keeps falling water off the face below. The detail appears only on the earliest dams of the national works here.
At 30.5 metres this is one of the shorter dams in the valley, while 5.5 metres puts it among the taller ones, so seen head on it stands up rather than spreads out. From the bridge, the opening of the spillway and the projection of the coping can be taken in at once.
Visiting
This is a working structure and cannot be walked on, and nothing has been built beside it for visitors. The bridge in front belongs to the sabo works road, not to a viewing route, and is not a place for the public to stand. The way the public can approach the valley is the Sabo Shindo trail from the Bettodeai trailhead.
Nothing prohibits photography. The slope is one of the largest active landslides in Japan and repair work goes on more or less continuously, so keep clear of working sites. Directions to the valley, the seasonal car restrictions, the compulsory climbing plan and the museum in Hakumine are set out on the Jinnosuke Valley Sabo Works page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Ishikawa
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Jinnosuke Valley No. 13 Sabo Dam
- [ Kenrokuen Garden & Kanazawa Craft Experiences ]
Q&A
- When was Jinnosuke Valley No. 13 Sabo Dam built?
- In 1932, on the gravel trapped by the No. 12 dam immediately downstream.
- Why is Jinnosuke Valley No. 13 Sabo Dam described as easy to see?
- A road bridge crosses directly in front of it, so the face can be viewed square on. The national record notes this visibility specifically.
- How big is Jinnosuke Valley No. 13 Sabo Dam?
- It is 30.5 metres long and 5.5 metres high, short in span for this valley but tall in proportion.
- Can I visit Jinnosuke Valley No. 13 Sabo Dam?
- It is a working structure with no opening hours or fee, and it cannot be walked on. The bridge in front is part of the sabo works road, not a viewing point.
- What is the heritage status of Jinnosuke Valley No. 13 Sabo Dam?
- A Registered Tangible Cultural Property, listed on 23 February 2012 under the registration system rather than the designation system.
Basic Information
| Name | Jinnosuke Valley No. 13 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 | 30.5 metres long, 5.5 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/101/00009149
- 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
