Miboro Dam (御母衣ダム, Miboro damu) is a dam on the Shō River in Shirakawa, in Gifu Prefecture Japan. It supports a 256 MW hydroelectric power station. Of the nine dams on the Shō River, it is the furthest upstream.[1][2]

Miboro Dam
LocationShirakawa, Gifu Prefecture, Japan.
PurposePower
StatusOperational
Construction began1957
Opening date1961
Dam and spillways
Type of damEmbankment, rock-fill
ImpoundsShō River
Height131 m (430 ft)
Length405 m (1,329 ft)
Elevation at crest766 m (2,513 ft)
Width (crest)12 m (39 ft)
Width (base)560 m (1,840 ft)
Dam volume7,950,000 m3 (10,400,000 cu yd)
Spillways3
Spillway type1 x roller gate, 1 x drum gate, lower discharge tunnel
Reservoir
Total capacity370,000,000 m3 (300,000 acre⋅ft)
Active capacity330,000,000 m3 (270,000 acre⋅ft)
Catchment area442.8 km2 (171.0 sq mi)
Surface area8.8 km2 (3.4 sq mi)
Normal elevation760 m (2,490 ft)
Power Station
Operator(s)Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc.
Commission dateJanuary/May 1961
Hydraulic head192.1 m (630 ft)
Turbines2 x 128 MW Francis-type
Installed capacity256 MW

The dam flooded several villages and shrines, submerging them completely, two cherry trees were taken from one of the submerged shrines and placed in Shirakawa-go where it is said that each petal represents a memory from someone who lived in the villages before they were flooded.[3]

Over 200+ houses were to be submerged, including Minka houses, and about 1,200 people were forced to relocate, so the residents of the planned submerged area violently opposed the dam construction plan. In 1961, all structures were submerged and the dam was completed.

References

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  1. ^ "Hydropower & Dams in South and East Asia" (PDF). Hydropower and Dams. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 September 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2010.
  2. ^ "Kansai Electric Power Miboro power plant" (in Japanese). Suiryoku. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  3. ^ "Miboro Dam Japan Tourist Information". Retrieved 24 August 2014.

36°08′17.7″N 136°54′38.9″E / 36.138250°N 136.910806°E / 36.138250; 136.910806