is a river gorge and scenic spot located within the city of Shinshiro,

Aichi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,461,111 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. It has been protected as both a Place of Scenic Beauty and

Natural Monument A natural monument is a natural or cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities, or cultural significance. They can be natural geological and geographical features such as w ...

since 1934.

Overview

Chiiwa-kyō is a canyon located on the Chiiwa River, a tributary of the Urengawa River, with a total length is four kilometers within the

Tenryū-Okumikawa Quasi-National Park is a quasi-national park in the Tōkai region of Honshū in Japan. It is rated a protected landscape (category V) according to the IUCN. The park includes the Tenryū-kyō Gorge of the upper Tenryū River in Iida, Sakuma Dam and its surroundi ...

. The canyon is named after the , a large white

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

cliff with a height of overlooking the river. The cliff has many

stalactite A stalactite (, ; , ) is a mineral formation that hangs from the ceiling of caves, hot springs, or man-made structures such as bridges and mines. Any material that is soluble and that can be deposited as a colloid, or is in suspension (chemistry ...

s mainly composed of

calcium carbonate Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is a common substance found in Rock (geology), rocks as the minerals calcite and aragonite, most notably in chalk and limestone, eggshells, gastropod shells, shellfish skel ...

from its overhangs, resembling breasts with milk. The gorge area is composed primarily of rhyolite tuff and the river bed in this area is made from a smooth monolith of limestone. Erosion on the riverbed has resulted in numerous

potholes A pothole is a pot-shaped depression in a road surface, usually asphalt pavement, where traffic has removed broken pieces of the pavement. It is usually the result of water in the underlying soil structure and traffic passing over the affected ...

. The sides of the canyon are forested, and there are many caves in the area, the largest of which is called the "womb cave" and contains a statue of

Kannon Bosatsu Guanyin () is a common Chinese name of the bodhisattva associated with Karuṇā, compassion known as Avalokiteśvara (). Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, which means " he One WhoPerceives the Sounds of the World". Originally regarded as m ...

holding an infant. Near the top of the mountain, there is a

natural arch A natural arch, natural bridge, or (less commonly) rock arch is a natural landform where an arch has formed with an opening underneath. Natural arches commonly form where inland cliffs, Cliffed coast, coastal cliffs, Fin (geology), fins or Stack ...

called "Tsutenbashi" or "Gokurakumon". Chiiwakyo4.jpg, Chiiwa Cave Chiiwakyo7.jpg, Inside the Chiiwa Cave Chiiwakyo6.jpg, Chiiwa River 通天洞(乳岩峡).JPG, Tsuten Natural arch Chiiwakyo2.jpg, Mt. Myojin seen from Tsuten Natural arch Chiiwakyo3.jpg, Merauku Stone

References

External links

Shinshiro city official site

Aichi Now official site for Aichi Tourism
Geography of Aichi Prefecture Places of Scenic Beauty Natural monuments of Japan Canyons and gorges of Japan Tourist attractions in Aichi Prefecture Shinshiro, Aichi IUCN Category III {{Aichi-geo-stub

Overview

See also

References

External links