Sightseeing in Shimokitayama: Demon Legends, Waterfalls, a Lake and an Old Temple in Deep Okuyoshino

What Kind of Place Is Shimokitayama?

Shimokitayama is a village in the mountains of Yoshino District, in southern Nara Prefecture. Most of it lies within Yoshino-Kumano National Park, and the Omine Okugake-michi, an ancient pilgrimage route for mountain ascetics (Shugendo practitioners), runs the length of the village. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site “Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range,” and the village is said to hold 25 nabiki, the training sites strung along the Okugake route. The Ikehara Reservoir, formed by damming the Kitayama River, also shapes the village landscape.

The village was created in 1889, when the municipal system took effect and ten villages of the Kitayama district were merged. No railway runs here, and National Route 169 cuts through the village from north to south. This article introduces the sights in order of latitude, from north to south. Mountain roads are prone to rockfalls and closures, so please check the latest road information before you set out.

1. Fudo Nanajū-no-Taki Falls (不動七重滝)

Fudo Nanajū-no-Taki is a seven-tiered waterfall on the Zenki River, with a total drop of about 160 meters. It lies in a special zone of Yoshino-Kumano National Park and is one of Japan’s 100 Best Waterfalls. The bedrock is said to be sandstone, formed when Cretaceous seabed sediments were thrust upward.

Of the seven tiers, the third from the top, the “Odaki” (Great Falls), drops about 80 meters and is the most impressive. The fourth and fifth tiers are smaller falls and pools, the sixth drops about 30 meters and the seventh about 40 meters. The village guide describes a walking path down to the valley floor, and a route that climbs about 900 aluminum steps to a viewing platform right beside the Great Falls.

The forest road to the falls runs about 6 kilometers from Zenkiguchi on National Route 169, and it is a rugged road that can be closed by rockfalls after heavy rain. In the green season, Mitsuba-tsutsuji azaleas and fireflies are said to be seen along the way. Parts of the road are narrow with poor footing, so check the weather and road conditions and plan within your limits.

2. Zenki Village (前鬼の里)

Zenki is the village’s innermost settlement, along the Zenki River at the foot of Mt. Shakagatake. It is said to have a history of more than 1,300 years as a village of lodgings that welcomed ascetics traveling the Omine Okugake-michi. The name comes from “Zenki” and “Goki,” a pair of demons who followed En no Gyoja (役行者), the founder of Shugendo.

According to the legend, the couple were once demons on Mt. Ikoma who snatched human children, but En no Gyoja set them straight, and they took human form and became his attendants. The red demon Zenki, carrying an axe, cleared the way, and the blue demon Goki, carrying a water jar, followed behind. The five temple lodgings opened by their five children are said to have supported village life and the ascetics’ path until the mid-Meiji era.

Upstream on the Zenki River lies Sanju-no-Taki, a set of three overlapping falls regarded as the 28th nabiki of the Okugake route. It is the collective name for three falls, Senju, Fudo and Medzu (Batō), and the monk Saigyo is said to have composed a poem here. Beyond this point lies a harsh training ground of chain-assisted climbs, not a place for ordinary hikers to wander into casually. It is a path of faith, so walk quietly and take great care with weather and equipment.

3. Ikehara Dam (池原ダム)

Ikehara Dam is a hydroelectric dam across the Kitayama River, an arch dam 110 meters high with a curved, bow-like profile. It is operated by the power company J-POWER, and among Japan’s arch dams it has the largest total reservoir capacity and flooded area. Using pumped-storage generation, it moves water up and down between itself and the Nanairo Dam downstream to produce electricity, with a maximum output of 350,000 kilowatts.

The dam was planned as part of the postwar comprehensive development of the Kumano River. The Kumano River basin, which includes Mt. Odaigahara, is one of the rainiest regions in Japan and has swift rivers suited to hydropower, but the steep mountains and valleys held development back for years. Ikehara Dam was positioned as a core facility of that plan, and records show that residents of Shimokitayama and Kamikitayama, whose land would be submerged, organized opposition to its construction.

The Ikehara Reservoir that resulted lies within Yoshino-Kumano National Park and was selected as one of Japan’s 100 Best Dam Lakes in 2005. The lake is also known for fishing. Roads around the dam are narrow and conditions on the lakeshore change with the weather, so allow plenty of time for driving and strolling.

4. Myojin Pond and Ike Shrine (明神池と池神社)

Myojin Pond is a natural pond about 1 kilometer around, set on a height at Ikemine. It is said to be the largest natural pond in Nara Prefecture, and a pair of kingfishers lives on its quiet, forest-ringed surface. Walking trails around the pond include a loop along the shore and a course over a low ridge, and on some days the ridge offers distant views of the Odaigahara mountains.

The pond is explained as water dammed by a landslide on a high plateau about 370 meters above sea level, raised by the uplift of a riverbed. Beside the pond stands Ike Shrine, whose deity is Ichikishima-hime-no-mikoto, but the pond itself was originally the object of worship, and across the road a small shrine faces the water for prayer.

According to the village guide, before the separation of Shinto and Buddhism it was called “Ikemine Daimyojin,” and villagers pass down the story that the divine image inside took the form of En no Gyoja holding a ringed staff. When the separation order came, the people involved are said to have made the image a completely hidden one to protect it, and changed the deity to Ichikishima-hime-no-mikoto. This is our own speculation, but we think the villagers were trying to protect their devotion to En no Gyoja even if it meant changing the form of their faith. It is an active shrine, so please visit quietly.

5. Shoboji Temple (正法寺)

Shoboji is a Soto Zen temple in Terakaito, often described as a symbol of the village’s history. According to the village guide, its predecessor was Enichi-in, said to have been founded in the third year of Enryaku (784). It is thought to have flourished as a rear base supporting the ascetics of the Omine Okugake-michi.

In the second year of Genko (1332), Prince Morinaga (Daito-no-miya Morinaga Shinno), a son of Emperor Go-Daigo, disguised himself as a mountain ascetic to evade the shogunate’s pursuers and entered the Kitayama district. Local leaders are said to have hurriedly built a thatched hermitage at Enichi-in as his temporary residence. In the second year of Kenmu (1335), the temple was moved to its present site and renamed Kaseizan Shoboji.

The temple burned to the ground in a fire in the second year of Kyoho (1717) but was rebuilt the following year through the efforts of its parishioners. The present buildings are said to date from a renovation in 1910 (Meiji 43). We suppose the principal image was once worshiped in the Shingon tradition, but the process by which it was refashioned as a Soto temple in the Edo period is recorded in the temple’s history. It is an active temple, so please visit quietly.

Local Specialties, Food and Drink

The village specialty is “Shimokita Harumana,” a leafy vegetable said to grow only here. It is also selected as one of the Yamato vegetables, and the standard preparation is “Harumana-zuke,” leaves harvested in February, rinsed in cold water and pickled with nothing but salt and chili pepper. “Mehari-zushi,” rice wrapped in this pickle, was a treasured lunch for mountain workers and counts among Nara Prefecture’s local dishes.

The village also presents products such as rice cakes made from mountain chestnuts and horse chestnuts, miso with Southern Court associations that locals prepare with great care, sweetfish and amago trout raised in clear streams, and jabara citrus. Sales seasons and locations change, so please check with the village tourist information before you go.

Rare Creatures and Nature

Most of the village lies within Yoshino-Kumano National Park, where clear streams such as the Zenki, Kitayama and Ikego rivers carve deep valleys. A grove of giant horse chestnut trees is designated a Natural Monument of Nara Prefecture. The village bird is the kingfisher, which can sometimes be seen at Myojin Pond and along the banks of clear streams.

The village also has Ishiya-no-to, a stretch of strange rock formations. Rock towers of nearly 100 meters stand in a row, and a landscape that rises in three dimensions when mist hangs over it is featured in the village guide, but the forest road leading there has rockfalls and sections without guardrails, so take great care if you go.

Other Notable Things About This Place

On Nishimurayama, a small hill in Kamikuwabara, a tradition says that Emperor Jimmu stopped during his eastward expedition and rested, seated on a flat stone at the summit. Locals call the stone “Jinmu-san,” and a monument for distant worship has been erected there. The story that the Yatagarasu crow guided Emperor Jimmu also links to the area around the World Heritage site Tamaki Shrine.

The mountains of the southern Omine Okugake-michi, including Mt. Shakagatake and Mt. Dainichigatake, are introduced as “sacred ground” even in the village’s tourist guide. The summit of Shakagatake lies on the border with Totsukawa Village, and a story is told that the statue of Shakyamuni at the top was carried up in 1924 by a single porter, in three separate loads.

The Night Side: Ghost Stories and Haunted Places of This Town

By day, Shimokitayama is the Zenki valley, the seven-tiered falls, and a quiet lake and pond. At night there are almost no streetlights, and the legend of the demon couple, the stories of the mountain ascetics and the tales of the fugitives of the Southern Court take on a sense of reality in the dark.

KARASU CHANNEL also records ghost stories and haunted places from around Japan. The temples, shrines and mountains introduced here remain places of faith and daily life, and they are precious cultural properties. Please avoid entering out of curiosity at night, and read the night-time stories only as records.

Before You Go

Business hours, fees, closing days and access change often, so they are not listed in this article. Before you go, please check the latest information on the official websites of each facility or local government. Some places are restricted because of weather or disaster.

FAQ

Q. What are the main sights in Shimokitayama?

A. They include Zenki Village, home of the legend of the demon couple; Fudo Nanajū-no-Taki, one of Japan’s 100 Best Waterfalls; Myojin Pond, the largest natural pond in Nara Prefecture; Ikehara Dam, a huge arch dam; and Shoboji Temple, which preserves a story of the Northern and Southern Courts period.

Q. How do I get to Fudo Nanajū-no-Taki?

A. From Zenkiguchi on National Route 169, follow the forest road for about 6 kilometers. The road is narrow and can be closed by rockfalls after heavy rain, so check road conditions with the village guide.

Q. Where does the name Zenki come from?

A. It comes from the legend of the demon couple “Zenki” and “Goki,” who followed En no Gyoja, the founder of Shugendo, and the village is said to have been a place of temple lodgings opened by their children.

Official sites and references consulted
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/下北山村
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/不動七重の滝
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/前鬼・後鬼
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/池原ダム
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/釈迦ヶ岳_(奈良県)
https://www.vill.shimokitayama.nara.jp/kankou/seichi.html
https://www.vill.shimokitayama.nara.jp/kankou/sekaiisan1.html
https://www.vill.shimokitayama.nara.jp/kankou/sekaiisan2.html
https://www.vill.shimokitayama.nara.jp/kankou/2012/03/1141.html
https://www.vill.shimokitayama.nara.jp/kankou/2012/03/1248.html
https://www.vill.shimokitayama.nara.jp/kankou/tokusanhin.html
https://www.vill.shimokitayama.nara.jp/kankou/2012/03/1454.html