Hagoromo Falls, Natural waterfall in Daisetsuzan National Park, Japan
Hagoromo Falls drops 270 metres in seven steps where the Aishipoppu and Futamizawa streams meet, in the Tenninkyo gorge cut by the Chubetsu River. The upper rock is welded tuff, the middle pumiceous tuff and the lower part Tertiary volcanic rock, so erosion has cut the cliff into uneven ledges. The water breaks into several white strands that widen across the lower face.
Writer Keigetsu Omachi named the falls in 1918 after observing how the flowing water resembled a celestial garment in Japanese mythology. This naming connected the natural beauty of the place with Japanese mythology and shaped its identity.
The name refers to a celestial garment from Japanese mythology, inspired by how the cascading water resembles flowing fabric. Visitors can experience this poetic connection between nature and legend while watching the falls.
The falls can be reached via a forest path of about 2 kilometers from the Tenninkyo Onsen Complex, with access best between mid-May and mid-November. In colder months, snow and ice can make the route difficult and unsafe to navigate.
In May 2013 a landslide 260 m high and 80 m wide buried the observation deck and trail during the winter closure; the trail stayed shut for about five years and reopened on 11 June 2018. The falls drop through seven steps because the rock changes from welded tuff at the top to pumiceous tuff and then Tertiary volcanic rock.
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