Takinohai waterfall

Takinohai is a 200-meter stretch of the Kogawa River where water cuts through ancient potholed bedrock, forming a small but forceful waterfall. The sandstone riverbed was once covered by a shallow sea and later hardened by underground magma, then gradually carved into potholes by stones rotated in the current. Local legend says a samurai named Takinohai Taro created the potholes with his sword, dropped it into the falls trying to retrieve it, and was never seen again. In late August, monk goby fish use their mouths and fins as suction cups to climb the wet rocks. A moss-covered Konpira Shrine dedicated to the protector of seafarers stands at the water's edge.