The river rises from southern Yamagata Prefecture, flows to the north, and turns west at Shinjō, then 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.

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.

[1][2] Some were revised as haiku in the memoir of his journeys, including this well-known poem: The character Yūko Aioi in Nichijou has inner monologues in haiku form, all ending with the name of the river as a complete non sequitur (as she cannot think of a full 5-7-5 haiku).

[3] Mogami-gawa is also the name of the anthem of Yamagata Prefecture written by Emperor Hirohito.