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The is the fourth largest river in Japan and the largest in the
The is the fourth largest river in Japan and the largest in the Tōhoku region
The , Northeast region, or consists of the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. This traditional region consists of six prefectures (''ken''): Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata.
Tōhoku ret ...
. It is long and drains an area of . page 793 It flows through mostly rural areas of Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures
A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...
. The source of the river is the Mount Nanashiruge in northern Iwate, from which it flows to the south between the Kitakami Mountains and the Ōu Mountains
The are a mountain range in the Tōhoku region of Honshū, Japan. The range is the longest range in Japan and stretches south from the Natsudomari Peninsula of Aomori Prefecture to the Nasu volcanoes at the northern boundary of the Kantō r ...
. The river is unusual in that it has two mouths, one flowing south into Ishinomaki Bay and the other flowing east into the Pacific Ocean, both in Ishinomaki City.
The Kitakami river was an important transportation route during the Edo period
The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional ''daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was character ...
and before the building of railways in the early Meiji period
The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912.
The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...
. Numerous dams have been constructed on the river and its tributaries from the Taishō and Shōwa period
Shōwa may refer to:
* Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa
* Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufacturer, affiliated with the Honda keiretsu
Japanese eras
* Jōwa (Heian ...
s for hydroelectric power generation, flood control
Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or high water level ...
and irrigation. However, another unusual feature is that there are no dams from its mouth to the Shijūshida Dam north of Morioka. This allows for a spectacular salmon run every fall.
Tributaries
In Iwate Prefecture from north to south showing from which direction the water flows and the city where it empties into the Kitakami River. * Tanto-gawa - from the east ( Iwate) * Matsu-gawa - from the west ( Hachimantai) * Nakatsu River - from the east (Morioka
is the capital city of Iwate Prefecture located in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. On 1 February 2021, the city had an estimated population of 290,700 in 132,719 households, and a population density of . The total area of the city is .
...
)
* Shizukuishi River - from the west (Morioka
is the capital city of Iwate Prefecture located in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. On 1 February 2021, the city had an estimated population of 290,700 in 132,719 households, and a population density of . The total area of the city is .
...
)
* Iwasaki-gawa - from the west ( Shiwa)
* Takina-gawa - from the west ( Shiwa)
* Kuzumaru-gawa - from the west (Hanamaki
is a city in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 94,691, and a population density of 100 persons per km², in 37,773 households. The total area of the city is . Hanamaki is famous as the birthplace of Kenji Miyazaw ...
)
* Hienuki-gawa - from the east (Hanamaki
is a city in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 94,691, and a population density of 100 persons per km², in 37,773 households. The total area of the city is . Hanamaki is famous as the birthplace of Kenji Miyazaw ...
)
* Sarugaishi River - from the east (Hanamaki
is a city in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 94,691, and a population density of 100 persons per km², in 37,773 households. The total area of the city is . Hanamaki is famous as the birthplace of Kenji Miyazaw ...
)
* Se-gawa - from the west (Hanamaki
is a city in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 94,691, and a population density of 100 persons per km², in 37,773 households. The total area of the city is . Hanamaki is famous as the birthplace of Kenji Miyazaw ...
)
* Toyosawa-gawa - from the west (Hanamaki
is a city in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 94,691, and a population density of 100 persons per km², in 37,773 households. The total area of the city is . Hanamaki is famous as the birthplace of Kenji Miyazaw ...
)
* Waga River - from the west ( Kitakami)
* Isawa River - from the west ( Ōshū)
* Hirose-gawa - from the east ( Ōshū)
* Hitokabe-gawa - from the east ( Ōshū)
* Koromo-gawa - from the west ( Hiraizumi)
* Iwai-gawa - from the west ( Ichinoseki)
* Kitetsu-gawa - from the north ( Ichinoseki)
* Senmaya-gawa - from the east ( Ichinoseki)
* Kinomi-gawa - from the east ( Fujisawa)
* Kinryu-gawa - from the west ( Ichinoseki)
See also
*References
External links
(mouth) (former mouth) Rivers of Iwate Prefecture Rivers of Miyagi Prefecture Iwate, Iwate Takizawa, Iwate Morioka, Iwate Yahaba, Iwate Shiwa, Iwate Hanamaki, Iwate Kitakami, Iwate Kanegasaki, Iwate Ōshū, Iwate Hiraizumi, Iwate Ichinoseki, Iwate Tome, Miyagi Ishinomaki Rivers of Japan {{Japan-river-stub