The One That Kept Its Original Shape
Jinnosuke Valley Upstream No. 16 Sabo Dam is an erosion-control dam of 1933 in the uppermost reaches of the Jinnosuke Valley at Hakumine, Hakusan City, Ishikawa Prefecture, listed on 23 February 2012 as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property. It measures 25.0 metres across and 4.0 metres high, and it stands above the stepped dams of the middle reaches, close to the head of the stream.
What distinguishes it is how little has changed. The ground here collapses often and the slopes are severe, yet the dam survives in almost the condition it was finished in. The Kanazawa River and National Highway Office describes it as the structure that best retains its original form among those predating the flood of 1934. Jinnosuke Valley Upstream No. 16 Sabo Dam shows how these dams were built before any repair work altered them.
Why It Was Listed
Sabo work on Hakusan became a directly managed national project in 1927, and this dam followed six years later. The next year brought the flood that killed 97 people along the Tedori River, and the Jinnosuke and Yanagidani valleys, where the works stood, did not collapse. Coming through that and remaining unaltered is what makes Jinnosuke Valley Upstream No. 16 Sabo Dam a document of early planning and technique rather than simply an old wall.
Registration is a lighter, notification-based form of protection, separate from designation. The dam qualified as a structure contributing to the historic landscape of the country. Fifteen sabo structures on Hakusan were listed on the same day, and thirteen of them stand in this valley.
A Spillway with an Overhang
The body is mortared rubble, stone quarried nearby and bedded with mortar in the joints. The spillway is an inverted trapezoid opening upward, and the coping along its lip projects forward into a pronounced eave. That overhang is a mark of the earliest years of the national works on Hakusan and does not appear on later dams. Downstream the same detail has been worn away or lost outright; here it holds its shape.
The dam runs 25.0 metres long and 4.0 metres high, smaller than those in the middle reaches, but the ravine is narrower this high up. Everything had to be carried in on men's backs, and altitude made that harder with every metre gained. Measured against those conditions, the dimensions are not modest but appropriate.
Visiting
Jinnosuke Valley Upstream No. 16 Sabo Dam is a working structure and cannot be walked on, and nothing has been built beside it for visitors. It lies above the stepped dams of the middle reaches, at about the height the Sabo Shindo trail reaches as it climbs from Bettodeai towards the Jinnosuke emergency hut.
Nothing prohibits photography. The slope is one of the largest active landslides in Japan and repair work is close to continuous, so working sites should be avoided. Directions, the 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 Upstream No. 16 Sabo Dam
- [ Kenrokuen Garden & Kanazawa Craft Experiences ]
Q&A
- When was Jinnosuke Valley Upstream No. 16 Sabo Dam built?
- In 1933, the year before the 1934 flood on the Tedori River.
- Why is Jinnosuke Valley Upstream No. 16 Sabo Dam considered important?
- Because it survives almost exactly as built, on ground where collapses are frequent. It is described as the structure retaining its original form best among those predating the 1934 flood.
- How big is Jinnosuke Valley Upstream No. 16 Sabo Dam?
- It is 25.0 metres long and 4.0 metres high, smaller than the dams downstream, matching a narrower ravine.
- Can I visit Jinnosuke Valley Upstream 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 should I look for at Jinnosuke Valley Upstream No. 16 Sabo Dam?
- The pronounced overhang of the coping above the spillway, a detail from the earliest years of the national works that survives intact here.
Basic Information
| Name | Jinnosuke Valley Upstream 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 | 25.0 metres long, 4.0 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/101/00009146
- 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
