Iri Power Station

A 1920 Hydropower Station on the Upper Yoshii River

The Iri Power Station (入発電所) is a hydroelectric plant built in 1920 on the upper Yoshii River in Iri, Kagamino Town, Tomata District, Okayama Prefecture; its main building, water tank, and penstock and main building retaining walls were registered as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (structures) on October 18, 2006. It is owned by the Chugoku Electric Power Company.

According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the station was built by Bisaku Electric. A water tank at the end of the headrace feeds a penstock that drops the water to the main building about 30 m to the west. The main building is described as the oldest surviving powerhouse among the plants of the Yoshii River system.

The Facilities and Their Value

The main building is a single-storey timber hall 15 m by 12 m with a gabled copper roof carried on king-post trusses and mortar-rendered walls (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The reinforced concrete water tank regulates the flow of water into the powerhouse and has a spillway on its east side. Retaining walls of mortared cobblestones line both sides of the penstock and the north and east sides of the main building (Agency for Cultural Affairs). All three were registered as structures that contribute to the historic landscape of the country.

Visiting the Iri Power Station

The Iri Power Station is a power facility owned by an electric utility. No official information on visits or parking could be confirmed. Do not enter the facility, and follow posted guidance when viewing from outside. The main building is at 964 Iri, Kagamino Town (Agency for Cultural Affairs).