Hello everyone.
This time, I visited Takachiho Town in Miyazaki Prefecture, one of the legendary sites of Tenson Kōrin — the Descent of the Heavenly Grandson.
It is said that Ninigi no Mikoto（瓊瓊杵尊）, the grandson of Amaterasu Ōmikami（天照大神）, descended from the heavens to this land, where traces of ancient myths still remain today.
In this article, I would like to introduce Takachiho Gorge, a place of both breathtaking scenery and quiet mystique.
The Formation and Myth of Takachiho Gorge
Takachiho Gorge was formed around 90,000 years ago, when pyroclastic flows from a massive eruption of Mount Aso cooled and solidified, then were slowly carved by the flow of the Gokase River over thousands of years.
The cliffs rise approximately 80 to 100 meters high, and the columnar joints sculpted by the river stretch for about seven kilometers.
In 1934, this area was designated a National Scenic and Natural Monument as “Gokase River Gorge (Takachiho Gorge).”
Such large-scale columnar formations are rare in Japan and are preserved as a geologically valuable landscape.
