Sagami Dam
Encyclopedia
The is a multi-purpose dam
on the main stream Sagami River
in Sagamihara
, Kanagawa Prefecture
on the island of Honshū
, Japan
.
region, and the expansion of industry and electrical consumption in the Yokohama
-Kanagawa
industrial belt. Plans for a dam on the Sagami River were submitted to the Home Ministry
in 1935, but approval was delayed in favor of other projects. Instead, the Kanagawa Prefectural Assembly passed the necessary regulations and secured a special budget to begin work in 1938. After actual construction work did not begin immediately, due to the strong opposition of the 196 families who needed to be relocated from the area to be flooded by the dam. However, the wartime demands for power and industrial water by the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal
and by the Keihin Industrial complex became critical, and General Sadao Araki
ordered troops into the area to force compliance with the relocation.
Work on the Sagami Dam began in 1941 by the Kumagai Gumi
construction company; however, the advent of World War II
delayed completion until 1947.
gravity dam. It was designed to provide flood control
, and industrial and drinking water to the cities of Yokohama, Kawasaki, Yokosuka
and the Shōnan
area. The associated Sagami Hydroelectric Power Plant has a rated capacity of 31,000 KW of power . The reservoir created by the dam, Lake Sagami
is also a major recreational location for Kanagawa Prefecture.
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
on the main stream Sagami River
Sagami River
The is a river in Kanagawa and Yamanashi Prefectures on the island of Honshū, Japan.The upper reaches of the river in Yamanashi prefecture are also sometimes known as the , and the portion near the river mouth as the...
in Sagamihara
Sagamihara, Kanagawa
is a city located in north central Kanagawa Prefecture, bordering Tokyo, Japan. It is the third most populous city in the prefecture, after Yokohama and Kawasaki, and the fifth most populous suburb of Greater Tokyo. Its northern neighbor is Machida, with which a cross-prefectural merger has been...
, Kanagawa Prefecture
Kanagawa Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.-History:The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period...
on the island of Honshū
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
History
The potential of the Sagami River valley for hydroelectric power development began to be developed in the 1930s, with the growth of population in the ShonanShonan
is the name of a region along the coast of Sagami Bay in central Japan. Centered on Enoshima, an island about 50 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, the Shōnan region stretches from Ōiso in the west to Hayama in the east, including Chigasaki, Kamakura and Hiratsuka...
region, and the expansion of industry and electrical consumption in the Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
-Kanagawa
Kawasaki, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, between Tokyo and Yokohama. It is the 9th most populated city in Japan and one of the main cities forming the Greater Tokyo Area and Keihin Industrial Area....
industrial belt. Plans for a dam on the Sagami River were submitted to the Home Ministry
Home Ministry (Japan)
The ' was a Cabinet-level ministry established under the Meiji Constitution that managed the internal affairs of Empire of Japan from 1873-1947...
in 1935, but approval was delayed in favor of other projects. Instead, the Kanagawa Prefectural Assembly passed the necessary regulations and secured a special budget to begin work in 1938. After actual construction work did not begin immediately, due to the strong opposition of the 196 families who needed to be relocated from the area to be flooded by the dam. However, the wartime demands for power and industrial water by the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal
Yokosuka Naval Arsenal
was one of four principal naval shipyards owned and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy, and was located at Yokosuka city, Kanagawa prefecture on Tokyo Bay, south of Yokohama...
and by the Keihin Industrial complex became critical, and General Sadao Araki
Sadao Araki
Baron was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army before World War II. A charismatic leader and one of the principal nationalist right-wing political theorists in the late Japanese Empire, he was regarded as the leader of the radical faction within the politicized Japanese Army and served as...
ordered troops into the area to force compliance with the relocation.
Work on the Sagami Dam began in 1941 by the Kumagai Gumi
Kumagai Gumi
is a construction company founded in Fukui, Fukui Prefecture, Japan. The company still has registered headquarters in Fukui, but the actual head office is located in Shinjuku, Tokyo.Kumagai Gumi was removed from the Nikkei 225 index on Oct...
construction company; however, the advent of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
delayed completion until 1947.
Design
The Sagami Dam a hollow-core concreteConcrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
gravity dam. It was designed to provide flood control
Flood control
In communications, flood control is a feature of many communication protocols designed to prevent overwhelming of a destination receiver. Such controls can be implemented either in software or in hardware, and will often request that the message be resent after the receiver has finished...
, and industrial and drinking water to the cities of Yokohama, Kawasaki, Yokosuka
Yokosuka, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 419,067 and a population density of 4,160 people per km². It covered an area of 100.62 km²...
and the Shōnan
Shonan
is the name of a region along the coast of Sagami Bay in central Japan. Centered on Enoshima, an island about 50 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, the Shōnan region stretches from Ōiso in the west to Hayama in the east, including Chigasaki, Kamakura and Hiratsuka...
area. The associated Sagami Hydroelectric Power Plant has a rated capacity of 31,000 KW of power . The reservoir created by the dam, Lake Sagami
Lake Sagami
is an artificial lake located in Midori-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa in Japan's Kantō region. Created in 1947 after the Sagami River was dammed, it serves as use for recreational and hydroelectric purposes...
is also a major recreational location for Kanagawa Prefecture.