True to its name, Nanatsu Falls splits into seven streams as it descends a roughly 100-meter outcrop of dacite in the mountains of Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture. The falls lie on the Tamugi River, a tributary of the Bonji, a little upstream of the Gassan Dam, in a deep gorge formed where dacite intruded ancient mudflows, leaving cliffs some 100 meters high. The site carries a quiet devotional history: it once served as a rest stop on the Rokujurigoe-kaido, the old road walked by pilgrims and ascetics bound for the sacred Three Mountains of Dewa, and several inns for those practitioners once stood here. The falls, which drop 90 meters, are among Japan's Top 100 Waterfalls.
Visiting Nanatsu Falls
The falls are on the Tamugi River in Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture, slightly upstream of the Gassan Dam. The spot lies along the route of the old Rokujurigoe-kaido road, once used by pilgrims traveling to the Three Mountains of Dewa.
