Tatsuyama Stone Quarries

Tatsuyama stone is a rare volcanic material called hyaloclastite, formed about 9,000 years ago when magma met cold water. It has been quarried near the mouth of the Kakogawa River since the Kofun period (around 250-552), and its location made it easy to transport by river to the Seto Inland Sea. The stone was first used for burial coffins, then as foundation stone for an imperial palace in 740. Over the centuries it went into pagodas, grave markers, and torii gates. The most famous piece ever extracted is the Ishi no Hoden megalith at Oushiko Jinja Shrine in Takasago. Two quarries remain active today.