About the Kitasawa No. 9 Stone Dam
The Shohoji River Kitasawa No. 9 Stone Dam (正法寺川北沢第九号石堰堤) is a stone erosion-control dam built in 1923 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.
It stands about 40 metres below the No. 8 dam. The Shohoji River Kitasawa No. 9 Stone Dam is a gravity dam 24 metres along the crest and 3.0 metres high, battered at 2 bu upstream and 3 bu downstream, laid dry (Karazumi) in level courses (Nunozumi), with a stone-faced embankment on its right bank.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency for Cultural Affairs uses this dam to explain the logic of the whole dry-stone series: the dams were placed at short intervals so that each one holds back only a limited volume of sediment.
A wall with no mortar can shift if too much gravel piles up behind it. The answer was to string modest dams, around 3 metres high, a few dozen metres apart and let them share the load. The system works as a chain, not as individual barriers. The Shohoji River Kitasawa No. 9 Stone Dam was registered as a structure that would be difficult to reproduce.
What to Look For
Standing at the Shohoji River Kitasawa No. 9 Stone Dam, turn and look both ways. The No. 8 dam is about 40 metres upstream and the No. 10 about 60 metres down, close enough on a clear day to sense the next dam in the series.
Upstream of the wall, trapped sediment has built a flat, gravelly bed. Wall and bed together turn the steep stream into a staircase.
Visiting the Kitasawa No. 9 Stone Dam
The Shohoji River Kitasawa No. 9 Stone Dam is an open-air river structure with no admission fee or opening hours. The face of the dam is best seen from the downstream bank; do not walk along the crest or climb down into the stream when the water is up. The No. 8 dam is about 40 metres upstream and the No. 10 dam about 60 metres downstream.
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 No. 9 Stone Dam
- [ Yamadera Temple & Zao Onsen Hot Springs ]
Q&A
- Where is the Shohoji River Kitasawa No. 9 Stone Dam?
- It is on the Kitasawa ravine of the Shohoji River in Shimo-Oginoto, Tendo City, Yamagata Prefecture. It lies about 40 metres below the No. 8 dam.
- When and why was the Shohoji River Kitasawa No. 9 Stone Dam built?
- It was built in 1923 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.
- Why are the dry-stone dams around the Shohoji River Kitasawa No. 9 Stone Dam so closely spaced?
- To limit the sediment each dam has to hold. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that the dry-laid dams on the Kitasawa were set at short intervals so that the load on each is kept small.
- Can I see the Shohoji River Kitasawa No. 9 Stone Dam up close?
- It is an open-air river structure with no admission fee or opening hours, and can be viewed from the bank. The face of the dam is best seen from the downstream bank; do not walk along the crest or climb down into the stream when the water is up.
- When did the Shohoji River Kitasawa No. 9 Stone Dam become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on 12 July 2005 as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure), as a structure that would be difficult to reproduce.
Basic Information
| Name | Shohoji River Kitasawa No. 9 Stone Dam |
|---|---|
| Location | Shimo-Oginoto, Tendo City, Yamagata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure), registration no. 06-0068 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2005/7/12 (Heisei 17) |
| Quantity | 1 dam |
| Dimensions | Crest length 24 metres, height 3.0 metres, with a stone-faced embankment and an apron |
| 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: 正法寺川北沢第九号石堰堤
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004859
- 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
