Kitakami River

The Kitakami river as it flows through Morioka.

The Kitakami river flowing through Kitakami.

The Kitakami River (北上川, Kitakamigawa) is the fourth largest river in Japan and the largest in the Tōhoku region. It is 249 kilometers long and drains an area of 10,150 square kilometers. It flows through mostly rural areas of Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures. The river is unusual in that it has two mouths, one flowing south into Ishinomaki Bay and the other flowing east into the Pacific Ocean, both in Ishinomaki City. Another unusual feature is that there are no dams from its mouth to the Shijushida Dam north of Morioka. This allows for a spectacular salmon run every fall.

Tributaries

In Iwate Prefecture from north to south showing from which direction the water flows and the city where it empties into the Kitakami River.

• Tanto-gawa - from the east (Iwate)
• Matsu-gawa - from the west (Hachimantai)
• Nakatsu-gawa - from the east (Morioka)
• Shizukuishi-gawa - from the west (Morioka)
• Iwasaki-gawa - from the west (Shiwa)
• Takina-gawa - from the west (Shiwa)
• Kuzumaru-gawa - from the west (Hanamaki)
• Hienuki-gawa - from the east (Hanamaki)
• Sarugaishi River (猿ヶ石川, Sarugaishigawa) - from the east (Hanamaki)
• Se-gawa - from the west (Hanamaki)
• Toyosawa-gawa - from the west (Hanamaki)
• Waga River (和賀川, Wagagawa) - from the west (Kitakami)
• Isawa River (胆沢川, Isawagawa) - from the west (Ōshū)
• Hirose-gawa - from the east (Ōshū)
• Hitokabe-gawa - from the east (Ōshū)
• Koromo-gawa - from the west (Hiraizumi)
• Iwai-gawa - from the west (Ichinoseki)
• Kitetsu-gawa - from the north (Ichinoseki)
• Senmaya-gawa - from the east (Ichinoseki)
• Kinomi-gawa - from the east (Fujisawa)
• Kinryu-gawa - from the west (Ichinoseki)

Popular culture

In Varan the Unbelievable, the movie's title villain was a native of the Kitakami River.

External links

38°34′36″N 141°27′36″E (mouth) 38°24′27″N 141°18′49″E (former mouth)