About the Kitasawa Iron Wire Gabion Groyne
The Shohoji River Kitasawa Iron Wire Gabion Groyne (正法寺川北沢鉄線蛇籠水制工) is a set of wire-gabion groynes built in 1924 on the Kitasawa branch of the Shohoji River in Shimo-Oginoto, Tendo City, Yamagata Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2005.
A groyne is a structure set into a river to turn the current or take the force out of it. The Shohoji River Kitasawa Iron Wire Gabion Groyne lies below the Kitasawa No. 15 dam, with 7 units laid roughly at right angles to the flow. The Agency for Cultural Affairs database records it as 1 site, constructed of stone in 7 units.
Why It Was Registered
The groynes use what is known as Kawasaki-type iron wire gabions, cylindrical baskets machine-woven in a hexagonal, tortoiseshell mesh and packed with stones. According to the Agency and Yamagata Prefecture, the gabions are stacked two tiers high, with further gabions draped over the top at roughly even intervals like saddles; the type is known as a kurakake (saddle-hung) groyne.
A gabion stays put by the weight of its stones yet can flex with the basket as the bed shifts beneath it. The Agency rates the Shohoji River Kitasawa Iron Wire Gabion Groyne as a sturdy structure with excellent flexibility. The Shohoji River Kitasawa Iron Wire Gabion Groyne was registered as a structure that serves as a model of design, a different criterion from the stone dams. The prefecture records that 32 gabion groynes were installed on the Kitasawa during the first phase of works.
What to Look For
At the Shohoji River Kitasawa Iron Wire Gabion Groyne, try to separate the two stacked tiers from the gabions saddled across them, and get close enough to see whether the mesh is the hexagonal weave.
With 7 units set across the flow, watch how the water turns between them. Seen together with the No. 15 dam just upstream, the division of labour is clear: the dam kills the energy, the groynes guard the banks.
Visiting the Kitasawa Iron Wire Gabion Groyne
The Shohoji River Kitasawa Iron Wire Gabion Groyne is an open-air river structure with no admission fee or opening hours. The layout of the gabions is easiest to read from the bank above; do not climb on the groynes or handle the wire mesh. The Kitasawa No. 15 dam stands just upstream.
Directions to the valley and safety notes are on the page for the Shohoji River Erosion Control Facilities.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Yamagata
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Shohoji River Kitasawa Iron Wire Gabion Groyne
- [ Yamadera Temple & Zao Onsen Hot Springs ]
Q&A
- Where is the Shohoji River Kitasawa Iron Wire Gabion Groyne?
- It is on the Kitasawa ravine of the Shohoji River in Shimo-Oginoto, Tendo City, Yamagata Prefecture. It lies just below the Kitasawa No. 15 dam.
- When and why was the Shohoji River Kitasawa Iron Wire Gabion Groyne installed?
- It was installed in 1924 as part of the first phase of the Shohoji River erosion-control project, which Yamagata Prefecture undertook after the flood of 1913 to stop sediment washing downstream.
- What is a Kawasaki-type wire gabion, as used at the Shohoji River Kitasawa Iron Wire Gabion Groyne?
- It is a basket of iron wire, machine-woven in a hexagonal mesh and filled with stones. Here the gabions are stacked two tiers high with more draped over the top as saddles, a kurakake groyne that the Agency for Cultural Affairs describes as sturdy and highly flexible.
- Can I see the Shohoji River Kitasawa Iron Wire Gabion Groyne up close?
- It is an open-air river structure with no admission fee or opening hours, and can be viewed from the bank. The layout of the gabions is easiest to read from the bank above; do not climb on the groynes or handle the wire mesh.
- When did the Shohoji River Kitasawa Iron Wire Gabion Groyne become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on 12 July 2005 as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure), as a structure that serves as a model of design.
Basic Information
| Name | Shohoji River Kitasawa Iron Wire Gabion Groyne |
|---|---|
| Location | Shimo-Oginoto, Tendo City, Yamagata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure), registration no. 06-0077 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2005/7/12 (Heisei 17) |
| Quantity | 1 site (7 units) |
| Dimensions | 7 saddle-hung groynes (Kawasaki-type iron wire gabions) |
| Owner | Yamagata Prefecture |
| Public Access | Open-air river structure; no admission fee or set hours |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: 正法寺川北沢鉄線蛇籠水制工
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004868
- Yamagata Prefecture: Shohoji River Erosion-Control Facilities, Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.pref.yamagata.jp/documents/4123/syohozigawa.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.24
