Mogami River
The is a river in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. Description and history. It is 224 km long and has a watershed of 7,040 km. 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 west at Shinjō and flows into the Sea of Japan at Sakata. Water transportation once flourished on the river and carried local products such as safflowers and rice to the Kansai region. Cultural references. The Mogami River appears as  an "utamakura" in Japanese poetry, with the influential 17th-century poet Matsuo Bashō composing several hokku regarding the river during his travels alongside it. Some were revised as haiku in the memoir of his journeys, including this well-known poem: The character Yūko Aioi in the "Nichijou" manga has inner monologues in haiku form, all ending with the name of the river as a complete non sequitur. "Mogami-gawa" is also the name of the anthem of Yamagata Prefecture written by Emperor Hirohito. The Japanese Navy had two different cruisers named "Mogami". External links. (mouth)