Futae-no-toge Mountain Pass [Futae Pass]

Futae Pass on the southern rim of the Aso caldera takes its name from a myth in which the deity Takeiwatatsu could not drain the volcanic lake because the caldera walls were two layers thick. During the Edo period, this pass was the starting point for the lords of Aso beginning their biennial procession to Edo under the sankin-kotai attendance system, traveling the Bungo Kaido road east to Oita and then by boat to Honshu. Much of the original stone paving laid by villagers from surrounding communities survives underfoot. Some stones were etched with village names, and the inscription from Iwasakamura is still visible if you look carefully while crossing.