With a height of 125 metres (410 ft), it is the tallest hollow-core concrete gravity dam in the world.

[1] The potential of the Ōi River valley for hydroelectric power development was realized by the Meiji government at the start of the 20th century.

Its mountainous upper reaches and tributaries were areas of steep valleys and abundant rainfall, and were sparsely populated.

The Ōigawa Railway Ikawa Line was expanded to facilitate dam construction, and the newly created Chubu Electric Power Company received a loan from the United Nations Bank for Reconstruction and Development on September 10, 1958 to fund the project.

The reversible turbine generators at the Hatanagi No.1 power plant were designed to function as either electrical power generators, or as pumps, to reverse the flow of water back to the reservoir in times of low demand.