Kurobe River

The Kurobe River (黒部川, Kurobe-gawa) is a river in Toyama Prefecture, Japan. 86 kilometres (53 mi) in length, it has a watershed of 689 km².

Kurobe River 黒部川
The river as it flows through Kurobe, Toyama. (March 2005)
Etymology	Ainu
Native name	Kurobe-gawa
Location
Country	Japan
State	Toyama
Region	Chūbu
District	Shimoniikawa
Municipalities	Kurobe, Nyūzen, Toyama
Physical characteristics
Source	Mount Washiba
⁃ location	Toyama, Toyama, Japan
⁃ coordinates	36°24′10″N 137°36′18″E
⁃ elevation	2,924 m (9,593 ft)
Mouth	Sea of Japan
⁃ location	Kurobe and Nyūzen, Toyama, Japan
⁃ coordinates	36°55′17″N 137°25′28″E
⁃ elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Length	85 km (53 mi)
Basin size	667 km2 (258 sq mi)
Discharge
⁃ average	12.18 m3/s (430 cu ft/s)

The river rises from Mount Washiba in the Hida Mountains and carves the deep valley known as the Kurobe Gorge. It comes out of the mountains at Unazuki and forms an alluvial fan which directly sinks into the Sea of Japan.

The Kurobe River's rich flow and steep gradient offer good conditions for hydroelectricity. The Kurobe Dam is the tallest dam in Japan.

The name Kurobe is derived from the Ainu name kur pet [kuɾᵘbet] 'shady river'.[1]