is a 103 kilometer (64 mile) long river in

Hiroshima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Hiroshima Prefecture has a population of 2,811,410 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 8,479 km² (3,274 sq mi). Hiroshima Prefecture borders Okayama ...

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 ...

. Its main stream originates in (1,339m) and empties through a

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 ...

channel 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 ...

. The river is one of the major rivers in the prefecture and descends through steep topography, with

hydroelectric power plant Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

s situated along the river. Ōta River has numerous tributaries and branches into the

delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * D ( NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta") * Delta Air Lines, US * Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 Delta may also ...

area of

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui h ...

which comprises Tenma, Kyūōta/Honkawa, Motoyasu, Kyōbashi, and Enkō rivers. Originally, the Ōta River passes through the western side of

Aioi Bridge The is an unusual "T"-shaped three-way bridge in Hiroshima, Japan. The original bridge, constructed in 1932, was the aiming point {{Unreferenced, date=April 2007 In field artillery, the accuracy of indirect fire depends on the use of aiming po ...

which was the aiming point for the

atomic bombing of Hiroshima The United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945, respectively. The two bombings killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, most of whom were civilians, and remain the onl ...

. A flood control channel was built along the former Yamate river in the late 1960s, which became the main passageway of the Ōta River. The original passageway of the Ōta River is now known as the Kyūōta River (旧太田川, ''Kyūōta-gawa'', lit. "Old Ōta") or Honkawa River (本川, ''Honkawa''). Ōta River runs through the municipalities of

Hatsukaichi is a city located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The name derives from a market traditionally held on the 20th of each month with ''hatsuka'' (廿日) meaning "20th day" and ''ichi'' (市) translating to "market". The market continues to this day ...

, Akiota, Kitahiroshima, Akitakata,

Higashihiroshima is a city located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. As of July 31. 2016 the city has an estimated population of 185,418 and a population density of 291.85 persons per km2. The total area is 635.32 km2. Higashihiroshima is a university town of ...

and

. The size of its catchment area is 1,710 km².

References

External links

Ootagawa
- Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (in Japanese) Rivers of Hiroshima Prefecture Rivers of Japan {{Japan-river-stub

See also

References

External links