Kagekiyodō, Natural monument cave in Mine, Japan

Kagekiyodō is a limestone cave beneath the Shishidedai plateau in the northeastern part of the Akiyoshidai Quasi-National Park, in Mine, Yamaguchi Prefecture. Its developed route runs about 700 m and is barrier-free, passing formations such as the Coral Ceiling and the Kasuri Ceiling and the Ikime Hachiman shrine. A further 400 m exploration course beyond it has no lighting and is entered with a rented helmet, headlamp and boots.

The cave is named after Taira no Kagekiyo, a Heike commander defeated at the Battle of Dan-no-ura in 1185, who is said to have hidden here. A second legend credits Ōba Kagekiyo, son of Ōba Kagemune, whose party fled into the cave and who fought off pursuers in 1198. It was designated a national Natural Monument in March 1922 together with Akiyoshidō.

The cave takes its name from Taira no Kagekiyo, the Heike commander who, according to legend, hid here after the defeat at Dannoura. A second tradition credits Ōba Kagekiyo, whose father Kagemune fled here and who fought off pursuers in 1198. Inside, stalactites named after him — Kagekiyo's curtain, Kagekiyo Myōjin and the helmet hook — keep the story visible.

The 700 m sightseeing course is barrier-free and lit, with the Ikime Hachiman shrine and coral and kasuri ceilings along the way. The 400 m exploration course beyond it has no lighting; helmets, headlamps and rubber boots are rented at the entrance, and the round trip takes about 60 minutes. Since the July 2023 heavy rain flooded the cave and left sediment, the passage toward Misumada-dō is no longer open.

The 400-metre exploration course has no lighting at all; visitors borrow a helmet, headlamp and rubber boots at the entrance and need about 60 minutes. In drought years the water level in the flooded rear section dropped enough that people could crawl through on their stomachs, which is how the old rain-prayer route from the Sayama side worked.