Kitayama River

This river originates near Obamine Pass in Yoshino County in the southeastern part of Nara Prefecture, flows almost south, and empties into the Kumano River in Wakayama Prefecture. It flows south through the valley between the Odaigahara Mountains in the east and the Omine Mountains in the west, and from the point where it joins its tributary, the Higashino River, in Shimokitayama Village, it meanders and insets, forming a typical V-shaped gorge. It flows southwest along the border between the Wakayama Prefecture exclave and Mie Prefecture, and joins the Kumano River at Miyai, Kumanogawa-cho, Shingu City, Wakayama Prefecture. The upper reaches are a power source area where the Ikehara Dam, Nanairo Dam, and Komori Dam have been built, and downstream is Dorokyo Gorge, which is part of Yoshino-Kumano National Park.

[Ichiro Kikuchi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

奈良県南東部の吉野郡の伯母峰(おばみね)峠付近に源を発し、ほぼ南流して和歌山県で熊野川に注ぐ川。東の大台ヶ原山地と西の大峰(おおみね)山脈との谷間を南流し、下北山村で支流の東(ひがし)ノ川と合流する付近から嵌入(かんにゅう)蛇行して標式的なV字形峡谷をなす。和歌山県飛び地と三重県との県境を南西に流れ、和歌山県新宮(しんぐう)市熊野川町宮井で熊野川に合流する。上流は電源地帯で池原ダム、七色(なないろ)ダム、小森ダムがつくられ、下流には瀞峡(どろきょう)があって吉野熊野国立公園の一部をなす。

［菊地一郎］

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