The is a river that flows through the

Ōita Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Ōita Prefecture has a population of 1,136,245 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,340 km2 (2,448 sq mi). Ōita Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the northwest, Kumam ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. In its lower reaches it provides the boundary to the

Fukuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders S ...

to the west. Yamakunigawa River near Aonodomon Tunnel

The Yamakuni River arises on the slopes of the sacred

Mount Hiko , is a mountain on the border between Fukuoka Prefecture and Ōita Prefecture in Kyūshū, Japan. It has an elevation of 1,200 metres. It is an important site for Shugendo, and a famous place for rock climbing. It is supposed Miyamoto Musash ...

on the border of Oita and Fukuoka prefectures, flowing towards the sea through the Yabakei and Nakatsu plains, and empties into the

Seto Inland Sea The , sometimes shortened to the Inland Sea, is the body of water separating Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū, three of the four main islands of Japan. It serves as a waterway connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of Japan. It connects to Osaka ...

. Tributaries include the Yamaoi River, Atoda River and Yamautsuri River. It is known as the largest rapid river in Kyushu, and when

torrential rain Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water fo ...

occurs in the upper reaches, a large amount of

rain Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...

flows down in a short time, which has the characteristic of causing

flooding A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrolog ...

Structures

Yamakunigawa River from Domombashi Bridge 4

The Yabakei Dam on a tributary, the Yamautsuri River, and Heisei Ozeki Barrage, help control the river system. Yamakunigawa River from Zenkaibashi Bridge 5

Yamakunigawa River from Zenkaibashi Bridge 5

The Yabakei Bridge over it, is the longest stone bridge in

Tourism

It runs through the

Yabakei The gorge of is a nationally designated Place of Scenic Beauty spanning the municipalities of Kusu and Nakatsu in Ōita Prefecture, Japan. Located within Yaba-Hita-Hikosan Quasi-National Park, it was selected as one of the 100 Landscapes of ...

Gorge (Shinyabakei Gorge) and is adjacent to

Aonodōmon is a tourist attraction located in the gorge of Yabakei, now part of Nakatsu City, in Ōita Prefecture, Japan. Legend has it that before the tunnel was built, people had to climb over the cliffs through which the tunnel is built to reach an im ...

(Blue Tunnel) in the

Yaba-Hita-Hikosan Quasi-National Park is a Quasi-National Park in Fukuoka Prefecture, Kumamoto Prefecture, and Ōita Prefecture, Japan. It was founded on 29 July 1950 and has an area of . See also * Aonodōmon * List of national parks of Japan and in Japan are places of sceni ...

. Its upper reaches include the scenic Marinkyo Gorge.

History

Significant floods have occurred in September 1944 (

typhoon A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...

), September 1993 (typhoon) and July 2012. Drought is also frequent and was recorded in 9 of the first 31 years after the construction of the

Heisei The is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Emeritus Akihito from 8 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. The Heisei era started on 8 January 1989, the day after the death of the Emperor Hirohito, ...

flood barrier.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yabakei River Rivers of Fukuoka Prefecture Rivers of Ōita Prefecture Rivers of Japan