One Weir for the Shogawa's Many Intakes
The Shogawa Goguchi Weir (庄川合口堰堤) is an irrigation and power weir of 1939 in Kanaya, Tonami City, Toyama Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on July 23, 2004 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a gravity weir of reinforced concrete, 103 metres long and 18 metres high, with intakes, a pump room and a fish pass; registration number 16-0071.
A Weir That Gathered the Intakes
The Shogawa Goguchi Weir gathered into one the irrigation intakes once scattered along the Shogawa River across the Tonami Plain, serving both irrigation and power (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It was built by Hazama-gumi.
It is a reinforced-concrete weir with ten radial gates, a fish pass on the downstream left bank and intakes upstream on both banks (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The Ministry of Agriculture says it waters about 12,000 hectares of farmland and lies within the Shogawa Gorge prefectural park.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape, a work that waters one of Japan's great alluvial fans and supported the modernisation of its rice-growing country.
What to Look For
Look for the ten radial gates across the river and the fish pass on the downstream left bank (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
The Ministry of Agriculture notes footpaths and park facilities around the weir, which is also used as a sightseeing spot. No official information on visiting the weir itself was found.
Q&A
- When was the Shogawa Goguchi Weir built?
- In 1939 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What does goguchi mean?
- Joining scattered intakes into a single one.
- How big is it?
- 103 metres long and 18 metres high.
- How much land does it water?
- About 12,000 hectares, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.
- When was the Shogawa Goguchi Weir registered?
- On July 23, 2004 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Shogawa Goguchi Weir (庄川合口堰堤) |
|---|---|
| Location | Kanaya, Tonami City, Toyama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2004/07/23 (Heisei 16) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Gravity weir in reinforced concrete, 103 m long, 18 m high |
| Owner | Toyama Prefecture |
| Public Access | No official visiting information |
References
- Shogawa Goguchi Weir (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00004227
- Shogawa Goguchi Weir, cultural properties among irrigation facilities (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Japanese)
- https://www.maff.go.jp/j/nousin/sekkei/museum/m_bunka/yuukei5/index.html
Last verified: 2026.10.18