The , also known as Ryuga Cave or Ryugado Cave, is a
limestone cave
A solutional cave, solution cave, or karst cave is a cave usually formed in a soluble rock like limestone (Calcium carbonate, with chemical formula ''CaCO3''). It is the most frequently occurring type of cave. It can also form in other rocks, inc ...
located in
Kami City,
Kōchi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Kōchi Prefecture has a population of 669,516 (1 April 2023) and has a geographic area of 7,103 km2 (2,742 sq mi). Kōchi Prefecture borders Ehime Prefecture to the northwest and Tok ...
,
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 is one of the three largest limestone caves in Japan, with a total length of 4 kilometers. The cave has been designated as a
National Natural monument of Japan.
Overview
The cave took roughly 175 million years to form.
Dozens of examples of
Yayoi pottery
Yayoi pottery (弥生土器 Yayoi doki) is earthenware pottery produced during the Yayoi period, an Iron Age era in the history of Japan traditionally dated 300 BC to AD 300. The pottery allowed for the identification of the Yayoi period and ...
, furnace remains, charcoal, and animal bones were discovered inside the cave, indicating that people were living in the cave during the
Yayoi period
The Yayoi period (弥生時代, ''Yayoi jidai'') (c. 300 BC – 300 AD) is one of the major historical periods of the Japanese archipelago. It is generally defined as the era between the beginning of food production in Japan and the emergence o ...
approximately 2,000 years ago. For this reason, the cave was designated a
National Historic Site in 1934.
The cave was opened to the public in August 1931; about a one kilometer portion is a
show cave
A show cave—also called tourist cave, public cave, and, in the United States, commercial cave—is a cave which has been made accessible to the public for guided visits.
Definition
A show cave is a cave that has been made accessible to ...
with illumination, stairways and marked paths.
Gallery
Kami Kochi Ryugado West Entrance 1.JPG, West Entrance
Kami Kochi Ryugado Exit 1.JPG, Exit
Kami Kochi Ryugado Museum 1.JPG, Museum
Kami Kochi Ryugado Inside 3.JPG, Cave formations
Kami Kochi Ryugado Inside 5.JPG, Cave formations
Kami Kochi Ryugado Inside 7.JPG, illumination
龍河洞出土 土器.JPG, Yayoi pottery
See also
*
List of historic sites of Japan (Kōchi)
This list is of the Monuments of Japan, Historic Sites of Japan located within the Prefectures of Japan, Prefecture of Kōchi Prefecture, Kōchi.
National Historic Sites
As of 1 July 2019, twelve Sites have been Cultural Properties of Japan, des ...
References
External links
Shikoku Tourism home page
Natural monuments of Japan
Caves of Japan
Kami, Kōchi
Show caves in Japan
Landforms of Kōchi Prefecture
Tourist attractions in Kōchi Prefecture
Historic Sites of Japan
Yayoi period
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