| Kegon Falls 华 厳 滝 - Kegon no Taki |
|
|---|---|
Kegon Falls and Lake Chūzenji |
|
| Location | Nikkō National Park, Tochigi Prefecture, Honshū, Japan |
| Type | Plunge |
| Total height | 97 metres (318 ft) |
| Number of drops | 1 |
| Total width | 7 metres (23 ft) |
| Watercourse | Oshiri River |
Kegon Falls (華厳滝 Kegon no Taki) are located at Lake Chūzenji (source of the Oshiri River) in Nikkō National Park near the city of Nikkō, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. The falls were formed when the Daiya River was rerouted by lava flows. About twelve smaller waterfalls are situated behind and to the sides of Kegon Falls, leaking through the many cracks between the mountain and the lava flows.
At 97 m high, it is one of Japan's three highest waterfalls. In the autumn, the traffic on the road from Nikko to Chūzenji can sometimes slow to a crawl as visitors come to see the fall colors.
The Kegon Falls are infamous for suicides, especially among Japanese youth.[1]
Misao Fujimura (1886 – May 22, 1903) a Japanese philosophy student and poet, is largely remembered due to his farewell poem directly on the trunk of a tree before committing suicide by jumping from the Kegon Falls.[1] The story was soon sensationalized in contemporary newspapers, and was commented upon by the famed writer Natsume Soseki. This led the famed scenic falls to become a notorious spot for lovetorn or otherwise desperate youngsters to take their lives (Werther Effect).[2]