Amagase Dam, Arch dam in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Amagase Dam is an arch dam in Kyoto Prefecture that rises 73 meters high and extends 254 meters across the Uji River with its concrete arch structure. The facility forms a large reservoir surrounded by forested hills and plays a key role in regional water control.
Construction of the dam followed the catastrophic flooding of the Kansai region caused by Typhoon 13 in 1953, which brought widespread destruction. Completion of the structure provided lasting protection against future flood events in the Yodo River basin.
The reservoir created by the dam bears the name Lake Ho-o, referencing the nearby Hoo-do Hall of Byodo-in Temple. Visitors can trace the connection between the modern structure and the historic religious site through the landscape.
Visitors reach the dam through a roughly 40-minute walk from Uji Station, served by both the Keihan Uji Line and the JR Nara Line. The route to the structure passes through quiet residential areas and then follows the river road upstream.
This dam remains the only structure of its kind built on the main stream of the Yodo River in western Japan. All other major dams in the river system sit on tributaries further upstream in the mountains.
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