Yachigike (Gunma Prefecture) Complete Guide | History and Current Status of Agricultural Reservoir in Egiki Town, Maebashi City
Yachigike (also written as Yachinuma or Yachizawa), located in Egiki Town, Maebashi City, Gunma Prefecture, is an important agricultural reservoir that supports the region’s farming. This article provides a comprehensive explanation of Yachigike’s basic information, historical background, current management status, and surrounding environment, covering all aspects of this area’s water management facility.
Basic Information and Overview of Yachigike
Yachigike is an agricultural reservoir located at 978-1 Egiki Town, Maebashi City, Gunma Prefecture, and is managed by the Egiki Town Water Management Association. According to the agricultural reservoir database published by Gunma Prefecture, this pond is officially registered as a reportable reservoir and plays an important role in securing water resources for regional agriculture.
Technical Specifications of Yachigike
The main structural data of Yachigike is as follows:
- Dam Height: 5.9 meters
- Dam Crest Length: 139.0 meters
- Total Water Capacity: 42.0 thousand cubic meters (42,000 cubic meters)
- Owner: Maebashi City
- Manager: Egiki Town Water Management Association
- Registration Number: 102010004
These figures classify Yachigike as a medium-sized agricultural reservoir, confirming that it operates to provide stable irrigation water to surrounding farmland. The dam height of 5.9 meters falls within a range where it has sufficient water storage capacity as an agricultural reservoir while remaining manageable through appropriate maintenance.
Geographic Characteristics of Egiki Town, Maebashi City and the Positioning of Yachigike
Egiki Town in Maebashi City is located in the eastern part of Maebashi, the prefectural capital of Gunma Prefecture. This region is a flat agricultural area spread across an alluvial fan on the south slope of Mount Akagi, where paddy field farming has flourished since ancient times.
History of Water Management in Egiki Town
The Egiki Town area has benefited from the Tone River water system, while simultaneously having multiple reservoirs constructed to ensure stable agricultural water supply. Besides Yachigike, another agricultural reservoir called “Egiki Shin-numa” (New Egiki Pond) exists in the same Egiki Town and is managed by the Egiki Town Water Management Association. Egiki Shin-numa has a dam height of 5.3 meters, a dam crest length of 100 meters, and a total water capacity of 30,000 cubic meters, working in conjunction with Yachigike to form the region’s water management system.
These groups of reservoirs function as important infrastructure for providing stable water necessary for paddy farming under Gunma Prefecture’s climatic conditions, which feature large seasonal variations in precipitation. Particularly during the rice-planting season from spring through summer and the growth period, planned water distribution from these reservoirs becomes a critical factor determining the success of regional agriculture.
Role and Importance as an Agricultural Reservoir
Yachigike is not merely a collection of water but a systematically managed water management facility supporting regional agriculture. Approximately 160,000 agricultural reservoirs exist throughout Japan, with hundreds scattered throughout Gunma Prefecture.
Functions and Agricultural Contributions of Reservoirs
Agricultural reservoirs have the following diverse functions:
- Storage of irrigation water: Stores rainfall and river water for distribution to farmland when needed
- Flood control function: Temporary water storage during heavy rain to mitigate flooding in downstream areas
- Ecosystem conservation: Provides habitat for diverse organisms as a waterside environment
- Landscape formation: Constitutes an element of the region’s natural landscape
- Preservation of regional culture: Maintenance of regional community through cooperative management centered on water management associations
Yachigike’s water capacity of 42,000 cubic meters is sufficient to secure irrigation water for several hectares of surrounding paddy fields, serving as the foundation supporting agricultural production in Egiki Town.
Management System by Egiki Town Water Management Association
Yachigike is managed by the Egiki Town Water Management Association. Water management associations represent a traditional form of organization in which local farmers cooperatively manage and operate water facilities, constituting one of the important social systems in Japanese rural society.
The main duties of water management associations include:
- Regular inspection and maintenance of dams and water intake facilities
- Monitoring water volume and formulating water distribution plans
- Grass cutting and cleaning around the dam
- Preparation of emergency response systems
- Information sharing and coordination among members
Through these daily management activities, Yachigike continues to operate safely and efficiently.
Safety Management and Disaster Prevention Measures for Reservoirs
In recent years, the importance of safety management and disaster prevention measures for agricultural reservoirs has increased nationwide. Following dam failures in western Japan during the July 2018 heavy rain disaster, the “Act on Management and Preservation of Agricultural Reservoirs” was enacted in 2019, making appropriate management and disaster prevention measures for reservoirs legally obligatory.
Reporting and Management Status of Yachigike
According to Gunma Prefecture’s agricultural reservoir database, Yachigike is officially registered as a reportable reservoir. This means that as a reservoir exceeding certain size standards, the owner and manager have reported it to the prefecture and established an appropriate management system.
Reportable reservoirs are subject to the following obligations:
- Regular facility inspections and reporting
- Updating manager information and establishing emergency contact systems
- Implementation of renovation work when necessary
- Cooperation in creating hazard maps
Disaster Prevention Measures for Reservoirs in Maebashi City
Maebashi City has created and published a “Maebashi City Reservoir Map” and “Maebashi City Reservoir Hazard Map” for the multiple reservoirs existing in the city. These materials contain information about reservoir names, locations, total water capacity, emergency contact information, and other details, serving to enable swift response in case of disaster and ensure resident safety.
Yachigike is also listed in these disaster prevention materials, allowing residents to regularly confirm its location and capacity. During disasters such as heavy rain or earthquakes, Maebashi City and the Egiki Town Water Management Association work together to monitor the pond’s condition, and when necessary, implement responses such as issuing evacuation advisories.
Characteristics of Reservoirs in Gunma Prefecture and the Positioning of Yachigike
Gunma Prefecture features an inland climate with large seasonal variations in precipitation, characterized by summer thunderstorms and winter dryness. To conduct stable agricultural production under these climatic conditions, reservoirs have been constructed throughout the prefecture.
Comparison with Major Reservoirs in Gunma Prefecture
Multiple agricultural reservoirs besides Yachigike exist within Maebashi City:
- Goryo-numa: Higashiomuro Town, dam height 7.0m, total water capacity 94,000m³
- Egiki Shin-numa: Egiki Town, dam height 5.3m, total water capacity 30,000m³
- Tsutsumi-numa: Tsutsumi Town, dam height 4.5m, total water capacity 60,000m³
- Inui Yachi-numa: Scattered throughout various locations
Compared with these reservoirs, Yachigike has a medium-sized dam height of 5.9 meters, with a total water capacity of 42,000 cubic meters that exceeds Egiki Shin-numa and ranks second to Tsutsumi-numa in water storage capacity. It can be confirmed as an indispensable major water management facility in Egiki Town.
Gunma Prefecture’s Reservoir Management Policy
Gunma Prefecture regularly updates the “Agricultural Reservoir Database,” centrally managing information on all reservoirs in the prefecture. The database current as of March 31, 2025 contains all reportable reservoirs in the prefecture, including Yachigike.
The prefecture collaborates with municipalities and water management associations to promote the following measures:
- Comprehensive inspection of reservoirs and assessment of deterioration status
- Subsidies for renovation work on aging reservoirs
- Designation and priority management of disaster-priority agricultural reservoirs
- Information disclosure to residents and enhancement of disaster prevention awareness
Through these initiatives, reservoirs including Yachigike are maintained safely, and a system has been established that balances regional agriculture with resident safety.
Environment and Ecosystem Around Yachigike
Agricultural reservoirs play an important role not merely as water facilities but also as habitats for diverse organisms. The area surrounding Yachigike is believed to have formed an ecosystem unique to waterside environments.
Ecological Value of Reservoirs
Generally, agricultural reservoirs host the following organisms:
- Aquatic plants: Emergent and floating-leaved plants such as reed, cattail, and water chestnut
- Fish: Freshwater fish such as crucian carp, common carp, and bitterling
- Amphibians: Frogs, newts
- Birds: Water birds such as herons and ducks
- Insects: Dragonflies, aquatic insects
These organisms inhabit the reservoir and its surrounding grasslands and forest edges, serving as important elements supporting biodiversity in rural areas. Particularly in recent years, as waterside environments have diminished due to urbanization and farmland reclamation, agricultural reservoirs have attracted attention for their function as valuable refuge habitats (refugia) for organisms.
Value as a Landscape Resource
Yachigike is also an important element constituting the rural landscape of Egiki Town. The water’s surface reflecting the sky and surrounding trees, along with vegetation changing with each season, represent familiar scenery to local residents and form part of regional identity.
The spring appearance of a full water surface before rice planting, the lush surrounding vegetation in summer, the lowering water level after autumn harvest, and the quiet water surface enveloped in winter silence—the reservoir’s landscape showing such seasonal expressions retains value as precious natural scenery even in increasingly urbanized Maebashi City.
Access to Yachigike and Surrounding Information
Yachigike is located at 978-1 Egiki Town, Maebashi City, approximately a 15-minute drive east from central Maebashi.
Access Methods
By car:
- Approximately 20 minutes from Maebashi IC on the Kan’etsu Expressway
- Accessible via National Route 17 and prefectural roads
- Parking: No official parking facility exists, but temporary stopping space is available along farm roads
By public transportation:
- Bus service from JR Maebashi Station toward Egiki Town area
- Within walking distance from the nearest bus stop
Precautions When Visiting
Yachigike is an agricultural water facility, not a tourist attraction. When visiting or taking photographs, please note the following:
- Respect for private and managed land: The dam and surrounding area are facilities managed by the Egiki Town Water Management Association. Do not enter without permission.
- Safety assurance: Waterside areas are slippery and dangerous. Particular caution is necessary when accompanied by children.
- Carry out all trash: For environmental conservation, always take any trash with you.
- Consideration for farming activities: Farming work occurs in surrounding areas during busy seasons. Avoid interfering with such activities.
- Prohibition of fishing and water play: As an agricultural water source, fishing and water play are in principle prohibited.
Nearby Tourist Attractions
Several appealing tourist attractions of Maebashi City and Gunma Prefecture are scattered around Yachigike:
- Mount Akagi: A famous mountain towering in the northern part of Maebashi City. Contains volcanic lakes such as Ōnuma and Konuma.
- Maebashi City center: As a prefectural capital, fully equipped with commercial and cultural facilities
- Shikishima Park: A vast urban park famous for its rose garden
- Gunma Prefectural Government Building Observation Hall: A free-to-use observation facility
Future Challenges and Prospects
Many of Japan’s agricultural reservoirs, including Yachigike, were constructed from the Edo period through the early Showa period, and deterioration is progressing. Several challenges exist for future sustainable management and utilization.
Maintenance Management Challenges
- Facility aging: Deterioration of dams and water intake facilities progresses with long-term use. Planned renovation is necessary.
- Aging of managers: Concerns exist about insufficient successors for water management associations due to the aging of farmers.
- Financial burden: Renovation work requires substantial costs, presenting a financial burden challenge for associations and local governments.
- Adaptation to climate change: New management responding to climate change, such as increasing concentrated rainfall in recent years, is demanded.
Utilization of Multifaceted Functions
Meanwhile, new usage methods leveraging the multifaceted functions of reservoirs are being considered:
- Sites for environmental learning: Use as locations for local children’s nature observation and agricultural learning
- Biodiversity conservation: Conservation activities targeting rare species habitats
- Community gathering points: Community bonding through water management association activities
- Landscape resources: Regional revitalization leveraging its value as agricultural landscape
Through these initiatives, Yachigike is expected to transcend its role as a mere agricultural facility and be passed on to future generations as a precious regional resource.
Conclusion: The Value and Future of Yachigike
Yachigike, an agricultural reservoir in Egiki Town, Maebashi City, Gunma Prefecture, with a dam height of 5.9 meters and total water capacity of 42,000 cubic meters, is appropriately managed by the Egiki Town Water Management Association. Beyond its original function supporting regional agriculture, it possesses the multifaceted value of ecosystem conservation, landscape formation, and maintenance of regional community, making it an important regional resource.
Under appropriate support from Gunma Prefecture and Maebashi City, and through the efforts of the region centered on the Egiki Town Water Management Association, Yachigike will continue to be safely maintained and passed down to future generations. As part of Japan’s traditional water management system of agricultural reservoirs, and as an existence symbolizing the region’s natural environment and culture, the value of Yachigike is expected to increase in importance going forward.
Should you have an opportunity to visit, consider reflecting on the quiet waterside environment of rural areas and the lives of people working there. However, remembering that it is an agricultural facility and observing proper manners when visiting is important.
