The is a river that runs through

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 has b ...

and Shimane prefectures in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. It is the largest river in the

Chūgoku region The , also known as the region, is the westernmost region of Honshū, the largest island of Japan. It consists of the prefectures of Hiroshima, Okayama, Shimane, Tottori and Yamaguchi. As of the 2020 census, it has a population of 7,328,339 ...

. It is also called the Gōgawa River () and, in Hiroshima, the Enokawa River (). The mainstream originates from Mount Asa (阿佐山) located in Kitahiroshima, Hiroshima (former Geihoku). Its three tributaries including Basen River (馬洗川), Saijō River (西城川) and Kannose River (神野瀬川) flows into the mainstream in . The gradients being relatively gentle, the river had been commonly used for boat transport until 1930s, when

Sankō Line The is a former railway line and current bus line in western Japan operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West). The 108.1 km (67.2 mi) line connected in Shimane Prefecture to in Hiroshima Prefecture and featured 30 tunnels. ...

and trafficways were built and opened. There are some valleys and waterfalls such as , and around the region of the river. It is known for '' ukai'' (鵜飼い) or cormorant fishing for ayu, which can be found especially in Miyoshi. According to one theory ''ukai'' in Miyoshi has taken place since late

Sengoku Period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...

, and is now one of the tourist attractions of the city.

Communities

180503 Go-no-kawa Gotsu Shimane pref Japan02s3

The river and its tributaries pass through or borders eight cities and seven towns that are located in Shimane Prefecture and Hiroshima Prefecture as is shown below. As of 2000 according to the national census 278,207 people lived in the drainage basin, including 104,169 from Shimane and 174,038 from Hiroshima. ;Hiroshima Prefecture: : Kitahiroshima, Akitakata, Higashihiroshima, Sera, Jinsekikogen, Fuchu, Shōbara, Miyoshi ;Shimane Prefecture: : Ōnan, Misato, Iinan, Kawamoto, Ōda,

Hamada A hamada (, ) is a type of desert landscape consisting of high, largely barren, hard rocky (basalt) plateaus, where most of the sand has been removed by Aeolian processes#Wind erosion, deflation. The majority of the Sahara is hamada. Other e ...

, Gōtsu

Dams

Major dams located within the basin are shown below. * Haji Dam - located in

Akitakata, Hiroshima file:Yoshida-kouriyama Castle Honmaru.JPG, 270px, ruins of Yoshida Koriyama Castle file:Yoshida district Akitakata city center area Aerial photograph.2005.jpg, 270px, Aerial view of Yoshida urban center is a Cities of Japan, city located in north- ...

. Water in the reservoir is supplied to

Ōta River is a river in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. Geography Its main stream originates in (1,339 m) and empties, through a flood-control channel, into the Seto Inland Sea. The river is one of the major rivers in the prefecture and descends ...

that flows into

Seto Inland Sea The , sometimes shortened to the Inland Sea, is the body of water separating Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, 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 Ba ...

through a tunnel under the dividing ridge. The reservoir is selected as , and the lakeside is noted for the cherry blossoms. * Kōbo Dam - located on Kannose River, one of the tributaries, in Takano, Hiroshima. * Kutsugahara Dam - located on Kannose River in Kimita, Hiroshima. * Haizuka Dam - located on Jōge River (上下川), one of the tributaries, in Mirasaka, Hiroshima. * Hamahara Dam - located in Misato, Shimane.

Notes

; References

External links

Chugoku Regional Development Bureau
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonogawa River Rivers of Hiroshima Prefecture Rivers of Shimane Prefecture Rivers of Japan