Saho River

This river originates from Kasugayama in Nara City, flows southwest through the northern part of the city, and then flows south through the Nara Basin before merging with the Hase River in Yamatokoriyama City to become the Yamato River. It is about 20 kilometers long. Although the water volume is low today, it was once used for shipping and irrigation. It has been written about in many waka poems since ancient times, such as Otomo no Yakamochi's poem "I wonder when I will be able to cross the clear rapids of the Saho River Gate, where the chidori cry" (Manyoshu, Volume 4). During the Edo period, "Fireflies on the Saho River" was included as one of the Eight Views of Nara.

[Ichiro Kikuchi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

奈良市の春日山(かすがやま)に発し、市街地北部を南西流し、さらに奈良盆地を南流して大和郡山(やまとこおりやま)市で初瀬(はせ)川と合流して大和川になる川。延長約20キロメートル。現在は水量も少ないが、かつては舟運や灌漑(かんがい)に利用された。古来多くの和歌に詠まれ、大伴家持(おおとものやかもち)の「千鳥鳴く佐保の川門(かわと)の清き瀬を馬打ち渡し何時(いつ)か通はむ」（『万葉集』巻4）などがある。江戸時代には「佐保川の蛍」が奈良八景の一つとされた。

［菊地一郎］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例