Okayama Prefecture Dam

1889-Kagami Dam

3.5
1889-Kagami Dam Okayama Prefecture Dam
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Date of interview: Wednesday, 12/10/2014

We came to the main purpose of this day's dam tour, the Kanami Dam. Like the Tsugawa Dam and Kuroki Dam, this dam is also operated by Okayama Prefecture. From the Kuroki Dam, we tried to go to the Kanami Dam via Prefectural Routes 75 and 68 while wandering around the scene of the horrific Tsuyama Incident, but we were forced to move southward to the Sakushu Highway because the road was closed during the winter season.

Kanami River Land Improvement District Kanami Power Plant Intake Weir

We looked for a point where we could see the embankment from downstream, and this was the first thing we saw as soon as we arrived. I thought it might be a sub-dam, but it is an intake weir of the Kanami Power Plant, and water is supplied to the power plant through a conduit from the right side of the photo. The white building on the other side of the river is the Koshihata Power Station, a dam-type power station operated by the Okayama Prefectural Bureau of Public Enterprises.

Kanami River Land Improvement District Kanami Power Plant Intake Weir
Kanami River Land Improvement District Kanami Power Plant intakeweir

Downstream view of the levee from the left bank road

As you drive from the intake weir back to the left bank road, you can see the Kanami Dam peeking out from among the trees. You can also see the discharge of water from the hollow jet valve on the left bank.

Downstream view of the levee from the left bank road
Downstream view of the levee from the left bank road

Incidentally, Okayama Prefecture has two types of dams: those managed by the Public Works Department and those managed by the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Department. The Kanami Dam is positioned as an agro-forestry dam managed by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

Pamphlet "Okayama Prefecture Dams
The brochure "Okayama Prefecture Dam"

Looking downstream from the left bank

There is a slope on the side of the left bank road, but it was blocked by chains and appeared to be off-limits, so I took this photo from in front of it.

Looking downstream from the left bank
Looking downstream from the left bank

View of the downstream face of the embankment and reduction works from the left bank

The crest of the Kanami Dam has three radial gates.

View of the downstream face of the embankment and reduction works from the left bank
View of the downstream face of the embankment and reduction works from the left bank

Looking downstream from the left bank

If you look closely, you can see that the hydraulic iron pipes, the door at the entrance to the audit corridor, and the stairs on the right bank are all light blue to match the color of the crest gate.

Looking downstream from the left bank
Looking downstream from the left bank

View of the top edge from the left bank

The top edge was chained and usually off-limits.

View of the top edge from the left bank
View of the top edge from the left bank

Kanami Dam Management Office

The photo below may be an older one, as we have information that the administration office will be bidding for renovation in 2022.

Kanami Dam Management Office
Kanami Dam Management Office

Looking upstream from the left bank

Water intake facilities are located on both sides of the crest gate. The right side is an intake facility for power generation, which takes in 1.20 m3/s of water, which is then sent to the Koshibata Power Station of the Okayama Prefectural Bureau of Public Enterprises directly below. The left side is slightly submerged and difficult to see, but it is an intake facility for valve discharge used for irrigation. 0.519 m3/s of water is taken to irrigate an area of 499.9 ha.

Looking upstream from the left bank
Looking upstream from the left bank

Kanami Dam Completion Monument and Cenotaph

In front of the control center, a monument commemorating the completion of the Kanami Dam and a cenotaph stand guard over the upstream face of the embankment.

Kanami Dam Completion Monument and Cenotaph
Kanami Dam Completion Monument and Cenotaph

View of the reservoir from the left bank

It is a simple reservoir, but I am more interested in the building with a chimney roof that stands on the hill on the opposite bank. Is it a private residence or a villa?

View of the reservoir from the left bank
View of the reservoir from the left bank

View of the sub-dam from the right bank

From the dam site, we moved downstream again and crossed further to the right bank. The road is not very good, so depending on the type of vehicle, it may be better to move on foot from the middle of the river.

View of the sub-dam from the right bank
View of the sub-dam from the right bank

Looking downstream from the right bank

And then this amazing angle was waiting for me.

Looking downstream from the right bank
Looking downstream from the right bank

I made a New Year's card using a photo taken from this location at the time. I had originally planned to visit the Gasho Dam in Tottori Prefecture, but it was a bit too far to go on a day trip, and I noticed that part of the "beauty" in "Kanami Dam" looked like a "sheep," so I set this dam as one of my main targets for this day's tour.

New Year's cards 2015
New Year's cards 2015

radial gate

It would be very impressive to see the crest discharge from here.

radial gate
radial gate

Hollow jet valve

It is a sight that is not often seen, and I was so lost in admiration that I forgot about the passage of time.

Hollow jet valve
Hollow jet valve

Koshibata Power Station, Okayama Prefectural Enterprise Bureau

Halfway down the road to just below the dam is a power station where one of the purposes of the Kanami Dam is to generate electricity. A maximum of 200 kW of power is generated.

Koshibata Power Station, Okayama Prefectural Enterprise Bureau
Koshibata Power Station, Okayama Prefectural Enterprise Bureau

We visited this dam for a New Year's greeting card, but although we could not enter the top end of the dam and the road was bad, we were able to enjoy the view of the embankment from just downstream and the discharge from the hollow-jet valve from the front.

Kanami Dam Specifications

LocationKoshihata, Kagamino-cho, Tomata-gun, Okayama
River NameYoshii River System Kakami River
ObjectiveF (flood control, agricultural disaster prevention)
A (irrigation water)
P(Power generation)
ModelG(gravity-fed concrete dam)
Bank height39m
Bank length131m
Dam volume60,000 m3
Watershed Area17.9km2
Reservoir area16 ha
Total storage capacity1,853,000 m3
Effective water storage capacity1,703,000 m3
Dam operatorOkayama prefecture (Chuugoku area)
Main body constructorfoundation
Year of launch-
Year Completed1974
Name of Dam Lake-

Other facilities/observations

Restrooms were originally located along the prefectural road on the right bank, but they seem to have been closed due to aging, and visitors are supposed to use the restrooms at Koshibata Furusato Village.

Parking lot×
Toilet
Park×
PR Exhibition Hall×
Fishing○?
Viewing platform×

Map around Kanami Dam

Weather around Kanami Dam

Accommodations that may be close to Kanami Dam

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This article was written by.
Shin Jinma

Dam enthusiast who loves Momosuke Fukuzawa / Dampedia and Dam News administrator / Certified Dammeister (01-018) by the Japan Dam Foundation / Started selling discharge caution goods.https://shop.dampedia.com

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