The Gōnokawa River (
Japanese: 江の川,
Hepburn: Gōnokawa/Gōnogawa) is a river that runs through
Hiroshima and
Shimane prefectures in
Japan. It is the largest river in the
Chūgoku region. It is also called the Gōgawa River (江川) and, in Hiroshima, the Enokawa River (可愛川).[5][1]
The mainstream originates from
Mount Asa (阿佐山) located in
Kitahiroshima, Hiroshima (former
Geihoku). Its three tributaries including Basen River (馬洗川), Saijō River (西城川) and Kannose River (神野瀬川) flows into the mainstream in
Miyoshi Basin [
ja]. The gradients being relatively gentle, the river had been commonly used for boat transport until 1930s, when
Sankō Line and trafficways were built and opened. There are some valleys and waterfalls such as
Senjōkei [
ja],
Dangyokei [
ja] and
Jōsei Falls [
ja] around the region of the river.[1][6][7][8]
It is known for ukai (鵜飼い) or cormorant fishing for
ayu, which can be found especially in
Miyoshi. According to one theory ukai in Miyoshi has taken place since late
Sengoku Period, and is now one of the tourist attractions of the city.[4][9][7]
Communities
Reaches(0:Headwaters、0-1:Upper、1-2:Mid、2-3:Lower)
The river and its tributaries pass through or borders eight cities and seven towns that are located in Shimane Prefecture and Hiroshima Prefecture as is shown below. As of 2000 according to the national census 278,207 people lived in the drainage basin, including 104,169 from Shimane and 174,038 from Hiroshima.[4]
^
abcd"江の川水系の流域及び河川の概要"(PDF) (in Japanese). Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. pp. 1, 22, 28, 53. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
^"江の川" [Gōnokawa River]. Nihon Rekishi Chimei Taikei (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012.
OCLC173191044. dlc 2009238904. Archived from
the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2012-09-11.