Kakemaku Falls
The 20-meter Kakemaku Falls is the highest waterfall in Kikuchi Gorge. It is located near the gorge’s visitor center, directly underneath a bridge from which the lower end of the gorge can be viewed through the spray rising from the pool at the base of the waterfall. Under the right conditions, this scene may be enhanced by a rainbow appearing in the spray.
Kakemaku Falls is one of the best examples of the type of steep waterfalls for which Kikuchi Gorge is noted. The volcanic rock in the gorge contains vertical fissures that were caused by extremely hot matter from a volcanic eruption interacting with cool air. Water eventually finds its way into these cracks, causing rectangular blocks of rock to break off. The resulting sheer cliffs become waterfalls like this one.
The name of the falls means “lowered curtain”—a reference to how the falling water conceals the cliff behind it like a grand curtain separating a stage from the audience.