Kitagawa Dam
Summary
The Kita River originates in Ōita Prefecture and flows into the Sea of Hyūga off Miyagi Prefecture after joining its tributary Nakadake River, and along the way flows close to the border of the two prefectures, and Kitagawa Dam, built to dam this river, was the first concrete arch dam in Ōita Prefecture. According to Ōita Electric Power Department, the dam was built to be a multipurpose dam for flood control and power generation, and the height of the headwaters was low at 285 meters, and to function in the Kita River which has a narrow grade, the dam functions with an unusually narrow height difference.
The portion of Kita River upstream of where Nakadake River joins it is known as Tashiro River. A stone arched bridge built across the Tashiro River in 1908, directly upstream of where the rivers merge, is submerged in the reservoir. The stone bridge is 10 meters from the bottom of the lake, so it is visible only from the summer dry season until the reservoir becomes full when the rainy season starts or a typhoon comes.
Kitagawa Dam's reservoir has been chosen as one of the top 100 reservoirs. On the left bank of the reservoir is Japan National Route 326, the spot where the Nakadake River tributary flows into Kita River has a local folk song called "Ume no Utagenka", and the Utagenka Bridge located there is connected to that song, and in the vicinity of the bridge is the Ume Rest Area. The vicinity of the dam is the natural habitat of the mountain hawk-eagle, and in 1981 the prefecture designated it as a protected wildlife area.