Kegon Falls

Kegon Falls lies at the eastern end of Lake Chuzenji, about 1,260 metres above sea level. Here the lake's outflow drops 97 metres in a single plunge into a gorge, before flowing on as the Daiya River down to Nikko town. Along with Nachi and Fukuroda, it is traditionally counted among the three great waterfalls of Japan (Nihon sandai meibaku).

The falls are named after the Kegon (Avatamsaka) Sutra and are said to have been discovered by Shōdō Shōnin, the monk who founded Nikko's mountain worship in the 8th century. Behind the main fall, some twelve smaller cascades seep from the rock face, known as the Jūni-taki.

An elevator descends about 100 metres through the rock to a viewing platform at the foot of the falls, which gives the classic frontal view; a free viewpoint at the top offers a view from the side.

The falls pour over the edge of a lava flow from Mount Nantai which dammed the valley around 20,000 years ago and created Lake Chuzenji. The lip consists of hard andesite over softer layers, and the fall is slowly retreating; rockfalls from the lip in 1986 changed its shape. The flow depends on how much water is released from the lake through a sluice at its outlet.

The gorge walls carry deciduous forest that colours in October. In cold winters the falls partially freeze, and the Jūni-taki form icicles on the cliff. House martins nest on the rock face in summer.

In 1903 the student Fujimura Misao carved a farewell poem on a tree and leapt from the top of the falls. His death became a national sensation and gave the falls a lasting and sombre reputation. The falls were also a favoured subject of Meiji-era photographers and foreign travellers to Nikko.