Kuma River (Japan)
| Kuma River | |
|---|---|
Kuma River | |
Location of mouth | |
| Nickname(s) | Abaregawa (raging river) |
| Native name | |
| Location | |
| Country | Japan |
| Prefecture | Kumamoto |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Length | 115km |
| Basin size | 1880km² |
The Kuma River (球磨川, Kuma-gawa) is a river in Kumamoto Prefecture, central Western part of Kyūshū, Japan. It is sometimes referred as Kumagawa River. It is the longest river in Kyushu, with the length of 115 km long and has a drainage area of 1,880 km2 (730 sq mi). The tidal flat of the Kuma River estuary is approximately 1000 hectares.
It is considered to be one of the three most rapid rivers of Japan (the other two being the Mogami River and the Fuji River). The Kuma River is classified as class A river, under the management of the Japanese government.
The Kuma River is a popular tourist spot. About 70,000 tourists take a ride on the river every year. Tourists are attracted to Ayu fish or sweetfish which inhabits at the Kuma river and some of its tributaries, where many people especially enjoy “shaku-ayu”. The river is also used for fishing, mainly in June, and for irrigation of nearby rice fields. It then empties into the Yatsushiro Sea at Yatsushiro.
The Kuma river is also known in relation to the Arase dam due to its removal project being the first dam removal in not only Japan but the whole of Asia. In 2020, the flooding of the Kuma River was a major incident in which a number of people from nearby areas were killed or seriously injured.