Matsuura River

A river in northern Saga Prefecture. It flows into Karatsu Bay on the Genkai Sea side. The Tertiary strata of the river basin were once known as the Karatsu coalfields. It originates from Mount Jinroku (447m) and Mount Kurokami (516m) in Yamauchi Town, Takeo City, and flows northward, collecting many tributaries, before joining the Kyuragi River in Ouchi Town, Karatsu City, and the Tokusue River in Kuri, Karatsu City. The river basin extends to Takeo City, Imari City, Karatsu City, and many other cities, with many small basins distributed upstream. Its length is about 47 km. The town of Karatsu and the special scenic spot of Niji-no-Matsubara are located near the river's mouth, but when the castle town was constructed in the early modern period, the river's mouth was relocated to the eastern side of Mount Mantou at Karatsu Castle. Before the arrival of railways, the river served as a transport route for rice, coal, and other goods, and the Karatsu coalfields in the river basin were Japan's largest coal-producing area at the end of the Edo period and during the Meiji Restoration, with coal being shipped from Mitsushima at the river's mouth. The Iki River, a tributary flowing from the western Sefuri Mountains, has an abundant amount of water, and is home to the Iki Dam and power plants. The Matsuura River Pumping Station, which pumps water from the Matsuura River, was built at a dam on the Uwaba Plateau downstream to the west.

[Shigeru Kawasaki]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

佐賀県北部の川。玄界灘(げんかいなだ)側、唐津湾(からつわん)に注ぐ。流域の第三紀層域は、かつて唐津炭田で知られた。武雄(たけお)市山内(やまうち)町の神六(じんろく)山（447メートル）、黒髪(くろかみ)山（516メートル）などに源を発し、多くの支流を集めて北流、唐津市相知(おうち)町で厳木川(きゅうらぎがわ)を、また唐津市久里(くり)では徳須恵川(とくすえがわ)を合流する。流域は武雄市、伊万里(いまり)市、唐津市などに及び、上流域にまで多くの小盆地が分布する。延長約47キロメートル。河口付近に唐津市街地や特別名勝虹ノ松原(にじのまつばら)があるが、近世初期城下町建設の際に河口を唐津城の満島(まんとう)山東側に付け替えた。鉄道登場前は米や石炭などの輸送路をなしたが、とくに流域の唐津炭田は、幕末・維新期、日本最大の産炭地で、河口の満島(みつしま)から石炭を積み出していた。脊振(せふり)山地西部から流れる支流の厳木川は水量も豊富で、厳木ダムや発電所などが立地する。下流西方に広がる上場(うわば)台地のダムに、松浦川から揚水する松浦川揚水場も建設されている。

［川崎　茂］

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