Ushibuse River No. 4 Check Dam

A Dry-Stone Check Dam of 1887

The Ushibuse River No. 4 Check Dam (牛伏川第四号堰堤) is a stone check dam for erosion control of 1887 in Uchida, Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on October 14, 2021 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records a gravity dam of stone, 20 metres long and 7.0 metres high; registration number 20-0584.

A Dry-Stone Check Dam

The No. 4 Check Dam stands about 150 metres upstream of the No. 3 dam, just below the meeting of two side streams, 20 metres long and 7.0 metres high (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

It is built of boulders more than 1 metre across, laid dry at a gentle slope (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It is the uppermost dam on the Ushibuse, built directly by the Home Ministry as part of flood control on the Shinano River system.

Why It Was Registered

The Agency notes its place as the uppermost dam on the river, built directly by the Home Ministry, and registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape.

What to Look For

Look for the boulders over 1 metre across and the dry-stone body laid at a gentle slope (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Visiting

It is owned by Nagano Prefecture (Agency for Cultural Affairs). According to the prefecture's Matsumoto Construction Office, anyone may visit the erosion control works freely; they are about 20 minutes by car from Matsumoto Station, with parking at Gofukuji temple (about 20 cars) and elsewhere. Some spots are dangerous, so take care. The stepped channel and check dams are introduced together on the Ushibuse River Erosion Control Works page.