A Wall That Does Two Jobs
Shimizugawa Dam No. 2 does two jobs at once. It is a check dam, built to hold back flood-borne gravel, but bored through its left-bank abutment is an irrigation channel that draws water off to the fields below. Flood defence and farm supply are handled by the same wall, a piece of practical design that reflects how closely these mountain works were tied to the farmland they protected.
It is the lowest of the group, the most downstream of five erosion-control dams on the Shimizu River, and it stands not in Hori like its neighbours but in the hamlet of Imanishi, in the Sekigane district of Kurayoshi, Tottori Prefecture. Completed in 1938 (Showa 13), it is also the smallest, 50 metres long and 3 metres high, about 800 metres below Dam No. 3.
Where the System Meets the Fields
The chain of dams above it exists because of a storm. The Muroto Typhoon of September 1934 flooded the Tenjin River basin, into which the Shimizu drains, and in the aftermath the Home Ministry built a run of sabo (erosion-control) dams to keep the loosened hillside sediment from reaching the valley floor. Construction ran from 1937 to 1944. As the last dam in the line, No. 2 is where the system meets the farmland it was meant to defend, which is why its builders gave it an irrigation outlet as well.
Being furthest downstream shaped its form. Its spillway is set wide, suited to a point where the several tributaries above have joined and the volume of water is greatest. Below the main wall is a sub-dam laid in the same mortared stone, breaking the overflow. In 2004 the five dams were listed together as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties for the way they belong to the region's historic landscape.
The Channel in the Abutment
The detail worth finding is the channel mouth in the left-bank abutment, where water is still led off toward the fields. It is a plain opening, easy to miss, but it explains the dam better than its size does: this was infrastructure meant to serve the people living just downstream, not only to stop a flood. The wide spillway and the low sub-dam give the structure a broad, settled look against the valley.
No. 2 is the easiest of the group to reach, being lowest and nearest the inhabited valley, though it is still rural country best approached by car. It is an open-air structure on public land with no admission, and the spa town of Sekigane is close by. As always near a working river, footing can be uneven, so check conditions locally before going down to the water.
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Q&A
- What is unusual about Dam No. 2?
- An irrigation channel runs through its left-bank abutment, so the same wall both holds back flood sediment and supplies water to the farmland below.
- Where does it sit in the group?
- It is the lowest and most downstream of the five, about 800 metres below Dam No. 3, and the only one in the hamlet of Imanishi rather than Hori.
- How big is it?
- It is the smallest of the group, 50 metres long and 3 metres high, completed in 1938 (Showa 13).
- Why is its spillway so wide?
- As the most downstream dam it handles the combined flow of the tributaries above, so a broad spillway lets the larger volume pass.
- Is it accessible to visitors?
- It is the easiest of the five to reach, lowest and nearest the valley, an open-air structure with no admission, though a car still helps.
Basic Information
| Name | Shimizugawa Dam No. 2 (清水川第二堰堤) |
|---|---|
| Location | Imanishi, Sekigane-cho, Kurayoshi City, Tottori Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure); registered 23 July 2004 |
| Registration No. | 31-0068 |
| Completed | 1938 (Showa 13) |
| Structure | Concrete gravity dam faced in mortared stone, with sub-dam; length 50 m, height 3.0 m |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Owner | The State (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism) |
| Note | Irrigation channel bored through the left-bank abutment; most downstream of the group |
| Access | Outdoor structure on public land; no admission; the most easily reached of the five |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database — Shimizugawa Dam No. 2
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004295
- Cultural Heritage Online — Cultural Properties of Kurayoshi City, Tottori
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/region/31/31203
- MLIT, River Data Book — Tenjin River System
- https://www.mlit.go.jp/river/toukei_chousa/kasen/jiten/nihon_kawa/0711_tenjin/0711_tenjin_01.html
- MLIT — Sabo (Erosion and Sediment Control)
- https://www.mlit.go.jp/river/sabo/index.html
Last verified: 2026.07.05