Mogami River
Encyclopedia
The is a river in Yamagata Prefecture
, Japan
. It is 224 km long and has a watershed of 7,040 km². It is regarded as one of the three most rapid rivers of Japan (along with the Fuji River
and the Kuma River
).
The river rises from southern Yamagata Prefecture and flows to the north, and turns into the west at Shinjō
and falls into the Sea of Japan
at Sakata
. Water transportation once flourished on the river and carried local products such as safflower
s and rice
to the Kansai
region.
The noted Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō
travelled along the river and wrote a famous haiku
:
Mogamigawa is also the name of the anthem of Yamagata Prefecture written by Emperor Hirohito
. The Japanese Navy
had two different cruiser
s named Mogami
.
Yamagata Prefecture
-Fruit:Yamagata Prefecture is the largest producer of cherries and pears in Japan. A large quantity of other kinds of fruits such as grapes, apples, peaches, melons, persimmons and watermelons are also produced.- Demographics :...
, 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...
. It is 224 km long and has a watershed of 7,040 km². It is regarded as one of the three most rapid rivers of Japan (along with the Fuji River
Fuji River
The is a river in Yamanashi and Shizuoka Prefectures of central Japan. It is long and has a watershed of . With the Mogami River and the Kuma River, it is regarded as one of the three most rapid flows of Japan....
and the Kuma River
Kuma River (Japan)
is a river in Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyūshū, Japan. It is 115 km long and has a drainage area of 1,880 km².It is considered to be one of the three most rapid rivers of Japan ....
).
The river rises from southern Yamagata Prefecture and flows to the north, and turns into the west at Shinjō
Shinjo, Yamagata
is a city located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 39,535 and the density of 177 persons per km². The total area is 223.08 km².The city was consolidated from several smaller villages on April 1, 1949....
and falls into the Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
at Sakata
Sakata, Yamagata
is a city located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.As of 2006, the city has an estimated population of 116,883 and the population density of 193.92 persons per km². The total area is 602.74 km².-History:The city was founded on April 1, 1933...
. Water transportation once flourished on the river and carried local products such as safflower
Safflower
Safflower is a highly branched, herbaceous, thistle-like annual. It is commercially cultivated for vegetable oil extracted from the seeds. Plants are 30 to 150 cm tall with globular flower heads having yellow, orange or red flowers. Each branch will usually have from one to five flower heads...
s and rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
to the Kansai
Kansai
The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Mie, Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo, and Shiga. Depending on who makes the distinction, Fukui, Tokushima and even Tottori Prefecture are also included...
region.
The noted Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō
Matsuo Basho
, born , then , was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. During his lifetime, Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai no renga form; today, after centuries of commentary, he is recognized as a master of brief and clear haiku...
travelled along the river and wrote a famous haiku
Haiku
' , plural haiku, is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities:* The essence of haiku is "cutting"...
:
- 五月雨をあつめて早し最上川
- Samidare o atsumete hayashi Mogamigawa
- The Mogami River, gathering rain of May and even more rapid
Mogamigawa is also the name of the anthem of Yamagata Prefecture written by Emperor Hirohito
Hirohito
, posthumously in Japan officially called Emperor Shōwa or , was the 124th Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order, reigning from December 25, 1926, until his death in 1989. Although better known outside of Japan by his personal name Hirohito, in Japan he is now referred to...
. The Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
had two different cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
s named Mogami
Japanese cruiser Mogami
was the lead ship in the four-vessel Mogami-class of heavy cruisers in the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was named after the Mogami River in Tohoku region of Japan. The Mogami class ships were constructed as "light" cruisers with 5 triple 6.1" DP guns...
.