List of rivers of Japan

Rivers of Japan are characterized by their relatively short lengths and considerably steep gradients due to the narrow and mountainous topography of the country. An often-cited quote is 'this is not a river, but a waterfall' by the Dutch engineer ( o-yatoi gaikokujin) Johannis de Rijke who had visited the Jōganji River, Toyama Prefecture. The Mogami, the Fuji and the Kuma are regarded as the three most rapid rivers of Japan.

Typical rivers of Japan rise from mountainous forests and cut out deep V-shaped valleys in their upper reaches, and form alluvial plains in their lower reaches which enable the Japanese to cultivate rice fields and to set up cities. Most rivers are dammed to supply both water and electricity.

The longest river of Japan is the Shinano, which flows from Nagano to Niigata. The Tone has the largest watershed and serves water to more than 30 million inhabitants of Tokyo metropolitan area.

List of rivers in Japan

The list below is in geographical order (from north to south). See also :Rivers of Japan for an alphabetical list.

Hokkaidō

There are 326 rivers in Hokkaido including 13 class A river systems (1級水系 ''Ikkyū suikei'') designated by the central government. See also :Rivers of Hokkaido.

Class A rivers

There are 13 class A river systems as follows. Their tributaries are also listed. The class A rivers are administrated by .

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Class B rivers

The rivers that are classified as class B rivers.
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List of rivers in Hokkaidō by length

The following table is a list of rivers of Hokkaidō by length.

Honshu

Tōhoku

First class rivers under the control of Tohoku Regional Bureau (東北地方整備局)
* Iwaki River (岩木川) - Aomori
* Takase River (高瀬川) - Aomori
*Mabechi River (馬淵川) - Iwate, Aomori
*Kitakami River (北上川) - Iwate, Miyagi
* Naruse River (鳴瀬川) - Miyagi
* Natori River (名取川) - Miyagi
* Abukuma River (阿武隈川) - Miyagi, Fukushima
* Yoneshiro River (米代川) - Akita, Iwate
* Omono River (雄物川) - Akita
* Koyoshi River (子吉川) - Akita
* Mogami River (最上川) - Yamagata
* Aka River (赤川) - Yamagata

Second class river
*Oirase River (奥入瀬川)

Kantō

First class rivers under the control of Kanto Regional Bureau (関東地方整備局)
* Kuji-gawa (久慈川) - Fukushima, Ibaraki
* Naka-gawa (那珂川) - Tochigi, Ibaraki
* Tone-gawa (利根川) - largest drainage area, and second longest of Japan; Gunma, Nagano, Tochigi, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, Ibaraki
** Edo-gawa (江戸川)
* Arakawa (荒川) - Saitama, Tokyo
** Sumida-gawa (隅田川)
** Kanda-gawa (神田川)
* Tama-gawa (多摩川) - Yamanashi, Tokyo, Kanagawa
* Tsurumi-gawa (鶴見川) - Tokyo, Kanagawa
* Sagami-gawa (相模川) - Yamanashi, Kanagawa
* Fuji-kawa (富士川) - Nagano, Yamanashi, Shizuoka

Hokuriku

First-class rivers under the control of Hokuriku Regional Bureau (北陸地方整備局)
* Ara River (荒川) - Yamagata, Niigata
* Agano River (阿賀野川) - Fukushima, Gunma, Niigata
* Shinano River (信濃川) - Nagano, Gunma, Niigata
* Seki River (関川) - Nagano, Niigata
* Hime River (姫川) - Nagano, Niigata
* Kurobe River (黒部川) - Toyama
* Jōganji River (常願寺川) - Toyama
* Jinzū River (神通川) - Gifu, Toyama
* Shō River (庄川) - Gifu, Toyama
* Oyabe River (小矢部川) - Ishikawa, Toyama
* Tedori River (手取川) - Ishikawa
* Kakehashi River (梯川) - Ishikawa

Chūbu

Rivers that flow into the Sea of Japan:

* Agano-gawa (阿賀野川) - Niigata, Fukushima, Gunma
* Shinano-gawa (信濃川) or Chikuma-gawa (千曲川) - longest of Japan
* Seki-kawa (関川) - Nagano, Niigata
* Hime-kawa (姫川) - Nagano, Niigata
* Kurobe-gawa (黒部川) - Toyama
* Jōganji-gawa (常願寺川) - Toyama
* Jinzū-gawa (神通川) - Gifu, Toyama
* Shō-gawa (庄川) - Gifu, Toyama
* Oyabe-gawa (小矢部川) - Toyama, Ishikawa
* Tedori-gawa (手取川) - Ishikawa
* Kuzuryū-gawa (九頭竜川) - Gifu, Fukui

Rivers that flow into the Pacific Ocean:

* Fuji-kawa (富士川) - Nagano, Yamanashi, Shizuoka
* Abe-kawa (安倍川) - Shizuoka
* Ōi-gawa (大井川) - Shizuoka
* Sakawa River (酒匂川) - Shizuoka, Kanagawa
* Tenryū-gawa (天竜川) - Nagano, Aichi, Shizuoka
* Toyo-gawa (豊川) - Aichi
* Yahagi-gawa (矢作川) - Nagano, Gifu, Aichi
* Shōnai-gawa (庄内川) - Gifu, Aichi
* Kiso-gawa (木曽川) - Nagano, Gifu, Aichi, Mie
* Nagara-gawa (長良川) - Gifu, Aichi, Mie
* Ibi-gawa (揖斐川) -Gifu, Mie
* Kushida-gawa (櫛田川) - Mie
* Miya-gawa (宮川) - Mie

First class rivers under control of Chubu Regional Bureau (中部地方整備局)
* Kano-gawa (狩野川) - Shizuoka
* Abe-kawa (安倍川) - Shizuoka
* Ōi-gawa (大井川) - Shizuoka
* Kiku-gawa (菊川) - Shizuoka
* Tenryū-gawa (天竜川) - Nagano, Aichi, Shizuoka
* Toyo-gawa (豊川) - Aichi
* Yahagi-gawa (矢作川) - Nagano, Gifu, Aichi
* Shōnai-gawa (庄内川) - Gifu, Aichi
* Kiso-gawa (木曽川) - Nagano, Gifu, Shiga, Aichi, Mie
* Suzuka-gawa (鈴鹿川) - Mie
* Kumozu-gawa (雲出川) - Mie
* Kushida-gawa (櫛田川) - Mie
* Miya-gawa (宮川) - Mie

Kansai

The first class rivers under the control of Kinki Regional Bureau (近畿地方整備局)
* Kuzuryu-gawa (九頭竜川) - Fukui
* Kita-gawa (北川) - Shiga, Fukui
* Yura-gawa (由良川) - Hyogo, Kyoto
* Yodo-gawa (淀川), Seta-gawa (瀬田川) or Uji-gawa (宇治川)
** Yasu-gawa (野洲川)
** Katsura-gawa (桂川), Hozu-gawa (保津川) or Ōi-gawa (大堰川)
** Kamo-gawa (鴨川)
** Kizu-gawa (木津川)
** Dōton-bori (道頓堀)
* Yamato-gawa (大和川) - Nara, Osaka
* Maruyama-gawa (円山川) - Hyogo
* Kako-gawa (加古川) - Hyogo
* Ibo-gawa (揖保川) - Hyogo
* Ki-no-kawa (紀ノ川, 紀の川) - Nara, Wakayama
* Yamato-gawa (大和川) - Nara, Osaka
* Kumano-gawa (熊野川) or Shingu-gawa (新宮川) - Nara, Mie, Wakayama

The second class river
* Muko-gawa (武庫川)

Chūgoku

There are 13 Class A river systems in Chūgoku Region, which are under control of Chugoku Regional Bureau (中国地方整備局). See also :Rivers of Tottori Prefecture, :Rivers of Shimane Prefecture, :Rivers of Hiroshima Prefecture, :Rivers of Okayama Prefecture and :Rivers of Yamaguchi Prefecture.

* Sendai River (千代川) - Tottori
*Tenjin River (天神川) - Tottori
* Hino River (日野川) - Tottori
*Hii River (斐伊川) - Shimane, Tottori
* Gō-no-kawa, or Gō-gawa (江の川, 江川) - Hiroshima, Shimane
*Takatsu River (高津川) - Shimane
*Yoshii River (吉井川) - Okayama
*Asahi River (旭川) - Okayama
*Takahashi River (高梁川) - Hiroshima, Okayama
* Ashida River (芦田川) - Okayama, Hiroshima
* Ōta-gawa (太田川) - Hiroshima
*Oze River (小瀬川) - Hiroshima, Yamaguchi
*Saba River (佐波川) - Yamaguchi

Shikoku

First class rivers under control of Shikoku Regional Bureau (四国地方整備局)
* Yoshino-gawa ( 吉野川) - Kochi, Ehime, Tokushima, Kagawa
* Naka-gawa ( 那賀川) - Tokushima
* Doki-gawa ( 土器川) - Kagawa
* Shigenobu-gawa ( 重信川) - Ehime
* Hiji-kawa ( 肱川) - Ehime
* Monobe-kawa ( 物部川) - Kochi 6
* Niyodo-gawa ( 仁淀川) - Ehime, Kochi
* Shimanto-gawa ( 四万十川) - Ehime, Kochi

Kyūshū

First class rivers under control of Kyushu Regional Bureau (九州地方整備局)

* Onga-gawa ( 遠賀川) - Fukuoka
* Yamakuni-gawa ( 山国川) - Oita, Fukuoka
* Chikugo-gawa (筑後川) - Kumamoto, Oita, Fukuoka, Saga
* Yabe-gawa ( 矢部川) - Fukuoka
* Matsuura-gawa ( 松浦川) - Saga
* Rokkaku-gawa ( 六角川) - Saga
* Kase-gawa ( 嘉瀬川) - Saga
* Honmyo-gawa ( 本明川) - Nagasaki
* Kikuchi-gawa (菊池川) - Kumamoto
* Shira-kawa ( 白川) - Kumamoto
* Midori-gawa ( 緑川) - Kumamoto
* Kuma-gawa (球磨川) - Kumamoto
* Ōita-gawa ( 大分川) - Ōita
* Ōno-gawa (大野川) - Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Ōita
* Banjo-gawa ( 番匠川) - Ōita
* Gokase-gawa ( 五ヶ瀬川) - Kumamoto, Ōita, Miyazaki
* Omaru-gawa ( 小丸川) - Miyazaki
* Ōyodo-gawa (大淀川) - Kagoshima, Kumamoto, Miyazaki
* Sendai-gawa ( 川内川) - Miyazaki, Kagoshima
* Kimotsuki-gawa ( 肝属川, 肝付川) - Kagoshima

See also

* Geography of Japan

References

全国１０９の一級水系
(109 of first class rivers; b
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Japan


一級水系の河川整備基本方針策定状況（平成21年3月6日現在）
you can see where first class rivers are)

External links

- Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism

{{Rivers of Japan

*
Japan
Rivers