Yonako Falls, Double waterfall system in Suzaka, Japan
Yonako Falls consists of two straight-drop waterfalls on a steep cliff near 1,500 m on the northeast slope of Mount Neko, at the northern mouth of the Mount Azumaya caldera. Gongen Falls drops 82 m and Fudo Falls 89 m, side by side, with a rounded rock mass between them and a dry channel beside the falling water. Their streams join to form the Yonako River, which flows northwest through Suzaka to the Chikuma River.
The falls have been a site of mountain ascetic practice since 718, when Jōjō, a disciple of Taichō, founded Hakusan worship at Fudō Falls. In the Sengoku period, Uesugi Kenshin is said to have placed his personal Buddhist image at the base of the falls after the fourth Battle of Kawanakajima. The main hall of Yonako Fudōson, rebuilt in the mid-Edo period, is a Suzaka City designated cultural property. The falls were designated a national Place of Scenic Beauty in 2016 as the Yonako Falls Group.
The falls are objects of worship at Yonako Fudo-son, whose Okunoin hall stands at their central base; the hall, rebuilt in the mid-Edo period, is a Suzaka City designated cultural property. Fudo Falls is also called "White Dragon Falls" and Gongen Falls "Black Dragon Falls", together "Twin Dragon Falls". Fudo Falls has long been a site of misogi purification rites in mountain ascetic practice.
The journey here by car involves driving through mountain passes, with road conditions varying by season. Arriving early in the day offers better lighting for viewing and fewer other visitors on the paths.
The two falls carry separate names: Fudo Falls, also called "White Dragon Falls", and Gongen Falls, known as "Black Dragon Falls"; together they are the "Twin Dragon Falls". The main hall of Yonako Fudo Shrine at their base, rebuilt in the mid-Edo period, is a Suzaka City designated cultural property.
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