Kitakami River
Kitakami River (北上川, Kitakami-gawa) is a major river in Japan. It is the fourth largest river in the country and the largest in the Tōhoku region. The river is about 249 kilometers long and drains an area of roughly 10,150 square kilometers, passing mainly through rural areas of Iwate and Miyagi prefectures.
Its source is Mount Nanashigure in northern Iwate, and it flows south between the Kitakami Mountains and the Ōu Mountains. The Kitakami has two mouths: the Kyukitakami River flows south into Ishinomaki Bay, while another branch flows east into the Pacific Ocean, both in Ishinomaki City. This dual-mouth setup is unusual for a Japanese river.
Historically, the Kitakami was an important transportation route before railways. Along its course and tributaries, many dams were built in the Taishō and Shōwa periods for hydroelectric power, flood control, and irrigation. Notably, there are no dams from the river’s mouth up to the Shijūshida Dam north of Morioka, which allows a spectacular salmon run every fall.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 11:13 (CET).