Yodo River

river, Japan

Also known as: Yodo-Gawa

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Japanese:: Yodo-gawa

See all related content

Yodo River, river, central western Honshu, Japan. The Yodo is the sole outlet of Lake Biwa, the country’s largest freshwater lake, from which it issues in a southwesterly direction to Osaka Bay, connecting the Kyōto Basin with the Ōsaka Plain. It was a major means of transportation and communication during the Tokugawa period (1603–1867). The river is dammed for hydroelectricity and irrigation.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.