What Is Bannai River No. 14 Sabo Dam?
Bannai River No. 14 Sabo Dam (万内川十四号堰堤, Bannaigawa Jūyongō Entei) is a concrete gravity sabo dam built around 1934 on the Bannai River in Nishinoya, Myoko City, Niigata Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 18, 2003.
A sabo dam is a check dam that holds back sediment in a mountain stream. Bannai River No. 14 Sabo Dam is 34 meters long at the crest and 4.9 meters high, with revetments on both banks downstream. It is the farthest upstream of the registered Bannai dams and was built at about the same time as No. 13 below it.
Both its faces lean back at the same batter of 1:0.2, giving it a trapezoidal cross-section, and from the front it is almost perfectly symmetrical.
Why It Was Registered
The dam was registered as a structure contributing to the historic landscape of the country. Besides the trapezoidal section and symmetrical elevation, the Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that the shoulders of the spillway notch of Bannai River No. 14 Sabo Dam slope at 1:1, that the notch is 15 meters wide, and that four drain openings shaped as segmental arches pierce the front of the dam.
The agency describes the dam as a trace of people taking on the threat of nature with modern engineering. Built at the head of the series in 1934, more than 30 years after the 1902 collapse, it shows that the Bannai works were a long campaign reaching from the Taisho era into the Showa years.
What to Look For
The four drain openings across the front are the first thing to catch the eye. Drain holes pass water through the body of a dam so that it does not pond too deeply behind it. Each is topped with a shallow segmental arch, and together they give the flat wall a rhythm. Among the registered Bannai dams, this is the only one whose drain openings the agency describes.
The notch is wide, 15 meters across, and its shoulders run into the dam at an easy slant. Seen from the side, both faces rise at the same angle, a tidier outline than the Taisho dams downstream.
It is worth comparing with No. 13 below. Built around the same time, the two share a symmetrical plan but differ in cross-section, and the arched drain openings are a feature that marks out No. 14.
How to Visit
Bannai River No. 14 Sabo Dam is the uppermost of the registered dams, beyond No. 13. The upper dams are reached by following the riverside path up from Bannai River Sabo Park. Check the on-site map for how far the maintained path runs, and do not continue onto the riverbed or slopes where it ends.
Bannai River No. 14 Sabo Dam stands in the open and can be viewed freely from the path; neither the prefecture nor the city lists any restriction on photography. It is a working sabo structure, so stay off the crest and the spillway notch, and keep back from the water after heavy rain. Opening season and directions to Bannai River Sabo Park are covered on the Bannai River Sabo Facilities page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Niigata
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Bannai River No. 14 Sabo Dam
- [ Sado Island & Echigo-Yuzawa Ski Resort Tours ]
Q&A
- When was Bannai River No. 14 Sabo Dam built?
- Around 1934, when the sabo project Niigata Prefecture had begun on the Bannai River in 1921 was being extended upstream.
- Why is Bannai River No. 14 Sabo Dam a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on March 18, 2003, as a structure contributing to the historic landscape. Its trapezoidal section and symmetrical form, its 15-meter notch, and the four segmental-arch drain openings on its front are cited.
- What are the drain openings on Bannai River No. 14 Sabo Dam?
- They are holes through the dam that let water pass so it does not pond too deeply upstream. Bannai River No. 14 Sabo Dam has four of them across its front, each topped with a shallow arch.
- Can I visit Bannai River No. 14 Sabo Dam, and is there a fee?
- Yes, from the path. Bannai River Sabo Park is open from April to November and there is no charge. Check the on-site map for how far the maintained path runs.
- Where is Bannai River No. 14 Sabo Dam?
- Bannai River No. Directions to Bannai River Sabo Park are on the Bannai River Sabo Facilities page.
Basic Information
| Name | Bannai River No. 14 Sabo Dam (万内川十四号堰堤) |
|---|---|
| Location | Nishinoya, Myoko City, Niigata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), Registration No. 15-0154 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2003/3/18 (Heisei 15) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Crest length 34 meters, height 4.9 meters |
| Owner | Niigata Prefecture |
| Public Access | Outdoors and freely viewable; Bannai River Sabo Park is open April to November, free of charge |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: 万内川十四号堰堤
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003221
- Niigata Prefecture: Bannai River stone sabo dams (Registered Tangible Cultural Properties)
- https://www.pref.niigata.lg.jp/sec/jouetsu_sabou/bunkazai-bannai.html
- JSCE Kanto Branch: Bannai River sabo dams and Hikagesawa ground sills
- https://www.jsce.or.jp/branch/kanto/04_isan/h29/h29_8.html
Last verified: 2026.09.24
