is a

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

in the city of Shinshiro,

Aichi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,552,873 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the west, Gifu Prefectur ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

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

Natural Monument A natural monument is a natural or natural/cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities or cultural significance. Under World Commission on Protected Areas guidelines, na ...

since 1934. The waterfalls was named one of "

Japan’s Top 100 Waterfalls is a list of waterfalls in Japan compiled by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment in 1990. Background According to the Japanese government, there are 517 named waterfalls in Japan. Many of these waterfalls are located in remote mountain lo ...

", in a listing published by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment in 1990.

Overview

The Atera Seven Falls are located on the Atera branch of the Toyokawa River 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 surrounding ...

. As the river flows down from the Nasuyama Plateau, it crosses a conglomerate fault scarp composed of middle and Paleozoic rock gravel such as sandstone, mudstone and granite. The falls are broken into a series of composed of middle and Paleozoic rock gravel such as sandstone, mudstone and granite. The first waterfall has a height of 9 meters from the bottom. The second is 13 meters, the third is 7 meters, the fourth waterfall is 25 meters, the fifth waterfall is 2 meters, the sixth waterfall is 4 meters, the seventh waterfall is 2 meters, for a total length of 62 meters over a drop in elevation of 26 meters. Only the first four tiers can be seen from below. The force of the falling water has created

basins Basin may refer to: Geography and geology * Depression (geology) ** Back-arc basin, a submarine feature associated with island arcs and subduction zones ** Debris basin, designed to prevent damage from debris flow ** Drainage basin (hydrology), a ...

at the base of each fall, especially the second waterfall, which has a depth of 4 meters and the fifth fall which has a depth of 7 meters. According to legend, a young ''

onmyōji was one of the official positions belonging to the of the Ministry of the Center under the ritsuryō system in ancient Japan, and was assigned as a technical officer in charge of divination and geomorphology based on the theory of the yin-an ...

Abe no Seimei was an ''onmyōji'', a leading specialist of ''Onmyōdō'' during the middle of the Heian period in Japan.Miller, Laura. "Extreme Makeover for a Heian-era Wizard". ''Mechademia 3: Limits of the Human''. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Pres ...

named this waterfall when he came here to meditate during the early

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. ...

References

External links

Ministry of Environment

Aichi Now official site for Aichi Tourism

Waterfalls of Japan Landforms of Aichi Prefecture Tourist attractions in Aichi Prefecture Shinshiro, Aichi Places of Scenic Beauty Natural monuments of Japan {{Aichi-geo-stub

Overview

See also

References

External links