The or , is a high variable-radius

arch dam An arch dam is a concrete dam that is curved upstream in plan. The arch dam is designed so that the force of the water against it, known as hydrostatic pressure, presses against the arch, causing the arch to straighten slightly and strengthen ...

on the

Kurobe River The is a river in Toyama Prefecture, Japan. in length, it has a watershed of 689 km². The river rises from Mount Washiba in the Hida Mountains and carves the deep valley known as the Kurobe Gorge. It comes out of the mountains at Una ...

Toyama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Toyama Prefecture has a population of 1,044,588 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,247.61 km2 (1,640.01 sq mi). Toyama Prefecture borders Ishikawa Prefecture to the ...

, Japan. The tallest dam in Japan, it supports the 335 MW Kurobe No. 4 Hydropower Plant and is owned by

Kansai Electric Power Company , also known as , is an electric utility with its operational area of Kansai region, Japan (including the Keihanshin megalopolis). The Kansai region is Japan's second-largest industrial area, and in normal times, its most nuclear-reliant. Be ...

. It was constructed between 1956 and 1963 at a cost of ¥51.3 billion

yen The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar (US$) and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the e ...

. The project was a difficult engineering feat for the rapidly growing post–World War II Japan, and claimed the lives of 171 people.

History

In 1951, the

was formed to provide electric power for the

Kansai region The or the , lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropolita ...

of Japan. Shortly after their formation, the area suffered from drought which caused power rationing. The drought along with the rapid growth of post–World War II Japan pushed the company to increase their generating capacity. After a series of geological and hydrological studies of the Kurobe River and Gorge, it was announced in late 1955 that the Kurobe Dam would be constructed. In July 1956, construction on the dam began. Problems quickly arose while transporting material to the construction site as only one small railway existed through the narrow gorge. Kansai decided to construct the Kanden Tunnel under Mount Akazawa that could bring supplies from Ōmachi eastward towards the construction site. The tunnel's construction proved an arduous task as a large fracture zone in the rock was encountered which took seven months to repair. In September 1959, the first

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...

for the dam was placed and by October next year, the reservoir had begun to fill. The Kurobe No. 4 power station was built completely underground to protect it from common avalanches in the gorge and also for nature conservation purposes. By January 1961, two of Kurobe No. 4's

Pelton turbine The Pelton wheel or Pelton Turbine is an impulse-type water turbine invented by American inventor Lester Allan Pelton in the 1870s. The Pelton wheel extracts energy from the impulse of moving water, as opposed to water's dead weight like the trad ...

s had begun operation at an initial capacity of 154 MW. In August 1962, the third turbine was in operation and by June 1963, the dam was complete at a final cost of ¥ 51.3 billion ($142.5 million (1963)). In 1973, a fourth turbine was installed and became operational; bringing the power station's production capacity to 335 MW. The fourth turbine cost ¥ 1.4 billion yen ($5 million (1973)). The first two turbines were manufactured by

Voith The Voith Group is a German manufacturer of machines for the pulp and paper industry, technical equipment for hydropower plants and drive and braking systems. The family-owned company, which operates worldwide and has its headquarters in Hei ...

and the second two by Japan's

Hitachi () is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is the parent company of the Hitachi Group (''Hitachi Gurūpu'') and had formed part of the Ni ...

. The dam initiated the development of Japan's first 275kV

transmission system :''See Transmission (mechanics) for a car's transmission system'' In telecommunications, a transmission system is a system that transmits a signal from one place to another. The signal can be an Signal (electrical engineering), electrical, optical ...

as well which allowed the transfer of electricity over greater distances. A total of 171 people died during the construction of the dam.

Specifications

The Kurobe Dam is a long and high, with variable-radius (dome)

. The dam is wide at its base, wide at its crest and contains of concrete. The dam is flanked and supported by two "wing" dams which form the

abutment An abutment is the substructure at the ends of a bridge span or dam supporting its superstructure. Single-span bridges have abutments at each end which provide vertical and lateral support for the span, as well as acting as retaining walls ...

s; the one on the left bank is long and the right is . The dam withholds a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

with a capacity of of which is live (active or "useful") storage. The reservoir also has a catchment area of and surface area of . The dam's spillway is located on its crest and contains 10 wide uncontrolled openings with a maximum discharge capacity of . Three other openings exist in the dam's orifice which consist of diameter pipes, two of which can discharge a maximum of each and the third . The dam's crest elevation is above sea level while the reservoir's normal operating level is and low level is considered . The dam's power station, Kurobe No. 4, is located underground and contains four

generator Generator may refer to: * Signal generator, electronic devices that generate repeating or non-repeating electronic signals * Electric generator, a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. * Generator (circuit theory), an eleme ...

s which are powered by Pelton turbines for a total installed capacity of 335 MW and average annual generation of 1 billion kWh. The power station is wide, high and long. The

penstock A penstock is a sluice or gate or intake structure that controls water flow, or an enclosed pipe that delivers water to hydro turbines and sewerage systems. The term is inherited from the earlier technology of mill ponds and watermills. H ...

serving water to the power station is long and utilizes a maximum effective

hydraulic head Hydraulic head or piezometric head is a specific measurement of liquid pressure above a vertical datum., 410 pages. See pp. 43–44., 650 pages. See p. 22. It is usually measured as a liquid surface elevation, expressed in units of length, ...

of while transferring a maximum of to the turbines. The plant's

surge chamber Surge means a sudden transient rush or flood, and may refer to: Science * Storm surge, the onshore gush of water associated with a low-pressure weather system * Surge (glacier), a short-lived event where a glacier can move up to velocities 100 ...

is long and high.

Access

The Kurobe Dam is the most popular hydropower site in Japan and, between late June and mid-October, water is released from its spillway for onlookers. The surrounding Kurobe Gorge is popular as well and is accessible by the

Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route The is a mountain sightseeing route between Tateyama, Toyama and Ōmachi, Nagano, Japan. Opened on June 1, 1971, it is long, with a difference in elevation of as much as . The Alpine Route goes through Tateyama in the Hida Mountains with man ...

. Start from Toyama Station which, from March 2015, is accessible by

Hokuriku Shinkansen The is a high-speed Shinkansen railway line jointly operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and West Japan Railway Company (JR West), connecting Tokyo with in the Hokuriku region of Japan. The first section, between and in Nagano Pr ...

(trains Kagayaki or its slightly slower counterpart, Hakutaka) from Tokyo, Nagano, Kanazawa, and various other stations along the

Line. Take the train from Dentetsu Toyama Station in

Toyama Toyama may refer to: Places and organizations * Toyama Prefecture, a prefecture of Japan located in the Hokuriku region on the main Honshu island * Toyama, Toyama, the capital city of Toyama Prefecture * Toyama Station, the main station of Toyama, ...

Tateyama Station (Toyama) is a railway station in the town of Tateyama, Nakaniikawa District, Toyama Prefecture, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Toyama Chihō Railway. Lines Tateyama Station is a terminus of the Toyama Chihō Railway Tateyama Line, a ...

Toyama Chihō Railway Tateyama Line The is a Japanese railway line which connects Terada Station with Tateyama Station, all within Tateyama, Nakaniikawa District Toyama Prefecture. It is owned and run by Toyama Chihō Railway. History The first section of what is now this line w ...

(65 minutes). (Note: Toyama Station is the main station with the shinkansen hub, while Dentetsu Toyama is the station next to the main station with local lines that go through the towns of Funahashi, Kamiichi, and Tateyama, to ultimately reach

). From

, take the

Tateyama Cable Car The is a Japanese funicular line of in Tateyama, Toyama, with its official name . The company also operates another funicular, Kurobe Cable Car with the same official name. The line is a part of Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route. It opened in 1954. ...

Bijodaira Station is a funicular station in Tateyama, Nakaniikawa District, Toyama Prefecture, Japan. Lines *Tateyama Kurobe Kankō **Tateyama Cable Car (Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route The is a mountain sightseeing route between Tateyama, Toyama and Ōmach ...

(7 minutes). From there, the

bus will take you to the 2450 m high

Murodō Station is a trolleybus station in Tateyama, Toyama, Japan. It is situated on the Murodō Plateau, 2,400 m above sea level. Murodō is the main station providing access to the Japanese Alps, including Mount Tate and Mount Tsurugi. Lines *Tateyama Kur ...

(50 minutes). From

, visitors should take the

Tateyama Tunnel Trolleybus The , officially the , is a Japanese trolleybus line in Tateyama, Toyama, operated by the Tateyama Kurobe Kankō Company. The line is entirely underground (in tunnel), including both termini. It is the last remaining trolleybus line in Japan wit ...

(10 minutes), followed by the Tateyama Ropeway (7 minutes), and finally the Kurobe Cable Car (5 minutes). From the last stop, a 15-minute walk will take visitors to the dam. The whole trip from Toyama Station takes roughly four hours to complete one-way, and costs around 10,000 yen in transportation fees. Various accommodations are available in Murodo area as well as near Tateyama Station, for those too tired to make the trip back down into Toyama City.

In popular culture

The novel ''The Sun of Kurobe'' (黒部の太陽; Kurobe no Taiyō) dramatizes the construction of the dam. It was adapted into the 1968 film ''

The Sands of Kurobe is a 1968 Japanese drama film directed by Kei Kumai. It was Japan's submission to the 41st Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but was not accepted as a nominee. Produced by its stars Toshiro Mifune and Yujiro Ish ...

''. The television series '' Project X: Chôsensha tachi'' (2000-2005) was also based on the dam's construction. The final arc of the 2004 ''

Tetsujin 28-go , known as simply ''Tetsujin 28'' in international releases, is a 1956 manga written and illustrated by Mitsuteru Yokoyama, who also created ''Giant Robo''. The series centers on the adventures of a young boy named Shotaro Kaneda, who c ...

'' anime, which takes place in a fictionalized 1950s Japan, heavily involves the construction of the Kurobe Dam. The 1961 kaiju film ''

Mothra is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that first appeared in the 1961 film '' Mothra'', produced and distributed by Toho Studios. Mothra has appeared in several Toho ''tokusatsu'' films, most often as a recurring character in the ''Godzilla'' ...

'' includes an action sequence filmed at the dam before its completion. Mothra's attack causes the dam to break. Kurobe dam can be seen in the 1964 film ''

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster is a 1964 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd., it is the fifth film in the ''Godzilla'' franchise, and was the second ''Godzilla'' film produced ...

''. Kurobe Dam features prominently in the opening scene of the 1966 film ''

Gamera vs. Barugon is a 1966 Japanese Kaiju, ''kaiju'' film directed by Shigeo Tanaka, with special effects by Noriaki Yuasa and Kazufumi Fujii. Produced by Daiei Film, it is the second entry in the Gamera, ''Gamera'' franchise, and stars Kōjirō Hongō, Kyōko E ...

'', in which Gamera attacks the facility’s hydroelectric plant to obtain energy in the form of fire. The dam itself then bursts after Gamera collides with it twice while flying away. The 2000 action thriller '' Whiteout'' was shot in and around Kurobe Dam, renamed Okutowa Dam in the film. The mecha anime television series ''

Kuromukuro is a Japanese mecha anime television series produced by P.A. Works, directed by Tensai Okamura and written by Ryō Higaki, with character designs by Yuriko Ishii and music by Hiroaki Tsutsumi. The series was produced to celebrate P.A. Works' 1 ...

'' (2016) is mainly set in a UN research facility located around the lake.

References

External links