Kurokuma Falls carries two readings in its 85-meter face. To generations of worshippers, the shape of the falling water suggested Kannon Bosatsu with hands clasped in prayer, and the waterfall came to be honored as an object of religious veneration in its own right. To others, the silhouette recalls a standing bear — hence the name, which translates literally as "Black Bear Falls." The falls descend a tributary of the Akaishi River in the town of Ajigasawa, Aomori Prefecture, fed by waters flowing down from the Shirakami Mountains, the beech-forest range inscribed as a World Heritage Site. In 1990 the Ministry of the Environment named Kurokuma one of Japan's Top 100 Waterfalls.
Visiting Kurokuma Falls
The falls lie in Ajigasawa, Aomori Prefecture, on a tributary of the Akaishi River descending from the World Heritage Shirakami Mountains. The sources record no specific trail or platform details.
