Mikata Five Lakes

The name refers to the five lakes of Mikata, Suigetsu, Suga, Hiruga, and Kugushi, which straddle Wakasa-cho, Mikata-kaminaka-gun, and Mihama-cho, Mikata-gun, in the west of Fukui Prefecture. It is a nationally designated Place of Scenic Beauty. It is located in a depression on the west side of Mt. Yahazu, which is caused by the Mikata Fault, which runs north to south, and is one of the centers of Wakasa Bay Quasi-National Park. The Rainbow Line toll road runs to Mt. Baijyo, and sightseeing boats depart from Kugushi. The three lakes of Mikata, Suigetsu, and Suga are connected by a continuous water surface, and Lake Suigetsu and Lake Kugushi are connected by the Urami Strait, and Lake Hiruga and Lake Suigetsu are connected by the Saga Tunnel. The lake water originally flowed out eastward from Lake Suga, but an earthquake in 1662 (Kanbun 2) caused poor drainage and the lake shore became plagued by floods. As a result, Namekata Kyubei (1616-1686), the magistrate of the Obama domain, excavated the Urami Channel (144 meters long) between 1662 and 1664. This construction led to the development of 24 hectares of new rice fields on the shores of Lake Mikata, and the two settlements of Ikura and Naride were born. The difficult construction took two years, requiring a total of 225,000 laborers, more than 1,600 ryo of gold, and more than 3,000 bales of rice, and the Urami River is also known as the River of Hatred. The Saga Tunnel was completed in 1934 (Showa 9) after repeated repairs since the Kan'ei era (1624-1644). Lake Hyuga is filled with seawater and is used to raise yellowtail and sea bream, and mackerel and sardines can be caught. Lake Kugushi is semi-freshwater, where mullet can be caught and oysters are cultivated. Lake Suigetsu, the deepest (34 meters) and largest (4.1 square kilometers), has hydrogen sulfide on the bottom and, like Lake Suga, has almost no living creatures. Lake Mikata is shallow at only 4 meters, but is rich in eels, crucian carp, and smelt, and Torihama, which has fishing rights, retains old fishing methods such as beating nets, collars, and shibazuke. The lake shore is a producer of plums, peaches, and grapes. The Mikata Five Lakes were registered as a Ramsar Convention wetland in 2005 (Heisei 17).

[Masahiko Shimada]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

福井県西部、三方上中郡若狭町(わかさちょう)と三方郡美浜町(みはまちょう)にまたがる三方湖、水月(すいげつ)湖、菅(すが)湖、日向(ひるが)湖、久々子(くぐし)湖の五湖をいう。国指定名勝。矢筈(やはず)山西麓(ろく)を南北に走る三方断層によって落ちた西側の陥没地にあり、若狭湾国定公園(わかさわんこくていこうえん)の一中心。梅丈(ばいじょう)岳には有料道路レインボーラインが通じ、久々子からは遊覧船が出る。三方、水月、菅の三湖は水面が連続し、水月湖と久々子湖は浦見(うらみ)水道で、日向湖と水月湖は嵯峨隧道(さがずいどう)で通じている。湖水はもと菅湖から東方へ流出したが、1662年（寛文2）の地震で排水が悪くなり、湖岸は洪水に悩まされた。そこで小浜(おばま)藩奉行(ぶぎょう)行方(なめかた)久兵衛（1616～1686）が1662年から1664年にかけて浦見水道（延長144メートル）を開削した。この工事により三方湖岸に24ヘクタールの新田が開発され、生倉(いくら)、成出(なりで)の2集落が生まれた。人夫延べ22万5000余人、金1600余両、扶持米(ふちまい)3000余俵と2年の歳月を要した難工事で、浦見川は恨み川だともいう。嵯峨隧道は寛永(かんえい)（1624～1644）以来改修を重ねて1934年（昭和9）に完成した。日向湖は海水が入り、ブリ、タイを蓄養し、サバ、イワシが釣れる。久々子湖は半淡水でボラがとれ、カキを養殖。最深（34メートル）かつ最大（4.1平方キロメートル）の水月湖は湖底に硫化水素が発生し、菅湖とともに生物はほとんどみられない。三方湖は4メートルと浅いが、ウナギ、フナ、ワカサギなどが多く、漁業権をもつ鳥浜(とりはま)は叩(たた)き網、えり、柴漬(しばづけ)など古い漁法を残す。湖岸はウメ、モモ、ブドウの産地。なお、三方五湖は2005年（平成17）に、ラムサール条約登録湿地となった。

［島田正彦］

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