Arida River

A river that flows through the northern part of Wakayama Prefecture. It originates from the Odo River in Mt. Koya, flows west, and empties into the Kii Channel at Minoshima in Arita City. It is 67.2 km long and has a drainage area of ​​about 430 square kilometers. It is called the Aridagawa River because it drains almost the entire Arida County except for the upper reaches. It was originally written as Aridagawa River. It flows along the boundary between the Paleozoic and Mesozoic strata, with the Nagamine Mountains running west from Mt. Koya to the north and the Shirouma Mountains running west from Mt. Gomadan to the south. It flows along the boundary between the Paleozoic and Mesozoic strata, and there is a landslide area in the middle reaches. On July 16, 1953 (Showa 28), a major disaster occurred that affected the entire basin, and in 1967 a disaster prevention dam was built at Futagawa in Shimizu Town (now Aridagawa Town). The downstream area is the main cultivation area for Arida mandarin oranges, and in the past, they were transported by river boat to the mouth of the river, Kitaminato, Minoshima. There are also many old agricultural wells. Sweetfish are released into the river, and cormorant fishing (a prefectural designated intangible folk cultural property) is practiced in Arida city.

[Yoichi Koike]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

和歌山県北部を流れる川。高野山(こうやさん)の御殿(おど)川に源を発し、西流して有田市箕島(みのしま)で紀伊水道に注ぐ。延長67.2キロメートル、流域面積約430平方キロメートル。上流部を除きほぼ有田郡全域を流域とすることから有田川とよばれる。もとは在田川と書いた。北側は高野山から西走する長峰(ながみね)山脈、南側は護摩壇山(ごまだんざん)から西走する白馬(しろうま)山脈で、古生層と中生層の境界線を流れ、中流部に地すべり地帯がある。1953年（昭和28）7月16日全流域に及ぶ大災害があり、1967年清水(しみず)町（現、有田川町）二川(ふたかわ)に防災ダムがつくられた。下流一帯は有田ミカンの中心的栽培地で、かつては川船で河口箕島北湊(きたみなと)に運ばれた。古くからの農用井堰(いせき)も多い。アユが放流され、有田市では鵜飼(うかい)（県指定無形民俗文化財）が行われる。

［小池洋一］

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