Takizawa Dam, Gravity dam in Chichibu, Japan
Takizawa Dam is a concrete gravity structure that rises 132 meters above the Nakatsu River and spans 424 meters across, creating Lake Okuchichibu Momiji in Saitama Prefecture. The facility generates power while managing water flow for the surrounding region.
Planned in 1969 for flood control and water supply to Tokyo and Saitama, the project stalled for 23 years over compensation talks with 112 households in Otaki village and local fishing cooperatives, settled by 1992. The main body was started in 1999, finished in 2008, and the project closed in March 2011 after landslide countermeasures.
The reservoir behind the dam is named Okuchichibu Momiji Lake, chosen through a public naming competition. The name refers to the autumn maples of the Chichibu mountains, and the lake lies within Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park. The Nakatsu River below the dam runs through the Nakatsu Gorge, and the area is known for the Fudo Falls and autumn foliage.
Visitors reach the dam via National Route 140, which features a distinctive double-loop bridge system called the Raiden Togoki Bridge. The road passes through mountain terrain, so expect winding routes.
Compensation talks with the 112 households of Otaki village delayed the project for 23 years, from the 1969 plan to the 1992 settlement, without resorting to expropriation. The dam body itself was only started in 1999. The reservoir was named Okuchichibu Momiji Lake through a public competition.
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