A Dam That Has Not Been Buried
Jinnosuke Valley No. 16 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 31.0 metres across and 5.5 metres high, and it stands between the No. 14 and No. 18 dams in the stepped sequence.
A sabo dam exists to fill up. The longer it works, the deeper its lower half disappears under the gravel it has caught, until from upstream only a low parapet shows above the deposit. Jinnosuke Valley No. 16 Sabo Dam has been buried less than most. The full 5.5 metres of its wall can still be read from bottom to top.
Why It Was Listed
Sabo work on Hakusan became a directly managed national project in 1927, and this dam followed six years later, one year before the flood of 1934 that killed 97 people along the Tedori River. It remains in its original position and still functions. Jinnosuke Valley No. 16 Sabo Dam was listed as a structure carrying the planning and technique of the early national scheme.
Registration works through notification rather than permits and is separate from the designation system. 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, stone taken from the valley and bedded with mortar. The spillway at the centre is cut as an inverted trapezoid widening upward, and the coping stones along its lip project slightly forward to form an eave. The detail belongs to the earliest years of the national works on Hakusan and appears on no later dam.
At 5.5 metres this is among the taller dams in the valley, and against a span of 31.0 metres the proportion is easy to take in from directly in front. Because so little of it lies buried, the coursing of the stone and the run of the joints can be followed as well.
Visiting
Jinnosuke Valley No. 16 Sabo Dam is a working structure and cannot be walked on, and no viewing platform or panel stands beside it. Seeing it means climbing the Sabo Shindo trail from Bettodeai and looking down where the slope opens towards the valley. Since the wall is not buried, its outline holds up even at a distance.
Nothing prohibits photography. This is one of the largest active landslides in Japan and repair work is close to continuous, so working sites should be given a wide berth. Directions, 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. 16 Sabo Dam
- [ Kenrokuen Garden & Kanazawa Craft Experiences ]
Q&A
- When was Jinnosuke Valley No. 16 Sabo Dam built?
- In 1933, six years after sabo work on Mount Hakusan became a directly managed national project in 1927.
- How big is Jinnosuke Valley No. 16 Sabo Dam?
- It is 31.0 metres long and 5.5 metres high, among the taller dams in the valley.
- Why can the whole wall of Jinnosuke Valley No. 16 Sabo Dam still be seen?
- Less gravel has built up against it than against the others. Sabo dams gradually bury their own lower halves, but this one still shows its full height.
- Can I visit Jinnosuke Valley No. 16 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 is the heritage status of Jinnosuke Valley No. 16 Sabo Dam?
- A Registered Tangible Cultural Property, listed on 23 February 2012 under the registration system rather than designation.
Basic Information
| Name | Jinnosuke Valley No. 16 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 | 31.0 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/101/00009151
- 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
