Nishinoya Irrigation Canal: A Channel Through a Check Dam
The Nishinoya Irrigation Canal (西野谷用水路) is a stone irrigation channel of 1926 in Nishinoya, Myoko City, Niigata Prefecture, entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2003.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as 49 metres long, built as one with the No. 7 check dam on the Bannai River. It is owned by the Nishinoya community.
Why It Was Registered
The Nishinoya Irrigation Canal is registration number 15-0161, listed under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the country. According to the Agency, water is drawn from the right bank upstream of the No. 7 dam, runs in a channel parallel to the dam, turns in an L and passes through a cut about 1 metre wide in the right wing of the dam body, all in stone-lined construction.
The Agency calls it a water-use facility integrated with a flood-control structure, a combined answer to the practical needs of daily life. Niigata Prefecture notes that the No. 7 and No. 8 dams were built side by side at the same time, and that No. 7 is registered as an unusual dam that also serves as an intake for irrigation water.
Eighteen check dams have been built on the Bannai River since 1921, and 11 of them are registered. The prefecture says these finely laid dams of local stone blend with their surroundings and are still in service.
What to Look For at the Nishinoya Irrigation Canal
The thing to understand is how the channel passes through the dam body itself, so that a structure for controlling sediment and a channel for watering rice fields are combined in one piece of stonework. Follow the water from the intake upstream to the point where it turns and enters the dam.
The area has been laid out by Myoko City as the Bannai River Sabo Park, with a viewing area overlooking the stone dams.
Visiting
The canal lies near the Bannai River Sabo Park. Myoko City says the park is open from April to November, free of charge, with parking and toilets. The address is Nishinoya, Myoko, and enquiries go to the Myoko City construction section on 0255-72-5111.
The canal is a working facility managed by the local community, so do not enter the channel or the dams or interfere with the flow of water.
Q&A
- What is the Nishinoya Irrigation Canal?
- A 49-metre stone irrigation channel of 1926, built as one with the No. 7 check dam on the Bannai River in Myoko, Niigata, and registered in 2003.
- How does the Nishinoya Irrigation Canal work?
- It takes water from the right bank upstream of the No. 7 dam, runs parallel to the dam, turns in an L and passes through a cut about 1 metre wide in the dam body.
- Why was the Nishinoya Irrigation Canal registered?
- As a water-use facility integrated with a flood-control dam, meeting several practical needs at once.
- What is near the Nishinoya Irrigation Canal?
- The stone check dams of the Bannai River and the Bannai River Sabo Park, which overlooks them.
- Can visitors see the Nishinoya Irrigation Canal?
- The area can be viewed from the Bannai River Sabo Park (April to November, free). Do not enter the channel or dams.
Basic Information
| Name | Nishinoya Irrigation Canal (西野谷用水路) |
|---|---|
| Location | Nishinoya, Myoko City, Niigata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2003/7/1 (Heisei 15) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Stone, 49 metres long |
| Owner | Nishinoya community |
| Public Access | Working channel; surroundings visible from the Bannai River Sabo Park (April to November) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Nishinoya Irrigation Canal (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003400
- Cultural Heritage Online: Nishinoya Irrigation Canal (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/188130
- Niigata Prefecture: Bannai River stone check dams (Japanese)
- https://www.pref.niigata.lg.jp/sec/jouetsu_sabou/bunkazai-bannai.html
- Myoko City: Bannai River Sabo Park (Japanese)
- https://www.city.myoko.niigata.jp/docs/828.html
Last verified: 2026.09.27