Takachihokyo
Interesting facts
- According to local legend, a great boulder in the gorge, known as Kihachi's Strength Stone, was hurled by the demon Kihachi, who once terrorised the area.
- Legend says the slain Kihachi came back to life after burial, so his body was cut into three and buried in separate mounds around the town.
- According to tradition, a girl was once offered each year to appease Kihachi, until in the late 16th century a local retainer substituted sixteen wild boars instead.
- The main hall of nearby Takachiho Shrine, rebuilt in 1778 and an Important Cultural Property, bears a carving of Mikeirino defeating Kihachi.
- Each November the shrine stages the full cycle of 33 Takachiho yokagura dances through the night, a nationally designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property.
- Beside the shrine stands a cedar about 55 metres tall, said to have been planted by the 12th-century warrior Hatakeyama Shigetada.
- The Gokase River takes its name from five named rapids along its course, one of which, Araragi, shares its name with a waterfall in the gorge.
- Nearby Amanoiwato Shrine faces the cave where, in Japanese myth, the sun goddess Amaterasu hid and plunged the world into darkness.
Why it is worth it
Walls of dark volcanic rock, split into tall columns, rise straight out of the Gokase River in the mountains of northern Miyazaki, and halfway along the gorge a ribbon of water, the Manai Falls, drops 17 metres from the rim into a green pool where rowing boats drift beneath it. Takachiho Gorge runs for about 7 kilometres east to west, with cliffs averaging some 80 metres and reaching 100 metres in places. It lies in the town of Takachiho on Kyushu, about 25 km south-east of Mount Aso, and has been a national Place of Scenic Beauty and Natural Monument since 1934.
The gorge is volcanic in origin. Pyroclastic flows from Aso – one about 120,000 years ago and another about 90,000 years ago – filled the old river valley with deposits that welded together as they cooled, and the cooling produced the striking columnar jointing seen in the walls. The Gokase River then cut down through this rock to the slate and sandstone beneath, carving the narrow V-shaped gorge. The Manai Falls are counted among Japan's Top 100 Waterfalls, and other cascades along the gorge include Tamadare and Araragi. Natural potholes in the riverbed are known as Nanatsugaike, the "seven ponds".
The gorge is also woven into Japanese mythology. Local tradition holds that when the heavenly grandson descended to earth, the deity Ame-no-Murakumo found no water here and brought a seed of water from the heavens, which welled up as the spring called Ama-no-Manai and now falls into the gorge as the Manai Falls. A walking path of about one kilometre follows the gorge past the falls, the Sennin-no-Byobu cliff and the Yaritobi bridge, continuing up to Takachiho Shrine; Amano Iwato Shrine lies a little further away. In 2023 the gorge hosted a round of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series.
Getting there
The gorge lies on the edge of the town of Takachiho in Miyazaki Prefecture. The nearest city in a straight line is Taketa in neighbouring Oita Prefecture, about 31 km away. The nearest airport is Kumamoto Airport (KMJ), about 44 km away.
Plan your visit
We have no confirmed visit data yet. Once it is confirmed, this block also carries the date it was checked.
Nearby places
- Hakusui Dam 22.8 km · dam
On these lists
32.70083, 131.30056per Wikidata