Yonako Great Falls is a spectacular natural attraction in Yonako, Suzaka City, Nagano Prefecture. The site is famous for two impressive waterfalls, Gongen Falls and Fudo Falls, whose powerful vertical drops create one of the most striking waterfall landscapes in northern Nagano.
Recognized as a National Place of Scenic Beauty and selected as one of the 100 Best Waterfalls in Japan, Yonako Great Falls is a remarkable destination where dramatic natural scenery, geological history, mountain worship, and Japanese culture come together.
Yonako Great Falls refers not only to the two main waterfalls but also to a group of more than a dozen waterfalls scattered throughout the surrounding mountains. On October 3, 2016, the area was designated as a National Place of Scenic Beauty under the name “Yonako Waterfall Group.”
The designation recognizes both the extraordinary landscape created by the area’s geology and topography and the long history of religious and cultural activities connected with the mountains and waterfalls.
The waterfalls are set within a dramatic landscape shaped by the volcanic activity of Mount Azumaya. They lie in a valley that cuts northward through the caldera of the Azumaya volcano, near the northeastern foothills of Mount Neko, at an elevation of approximately 1,500 meters.
Steep rock cliffs stretch across the mountain slopes. Water collected from rainfall within the caldera flows through tributaries of the Yonako River before plunging over these cliffs, creating the two great waterfalls. The landscape provides an opportunity to experience the immense power of nature and the geological history of the mountains at close range.
Gongen Falls has a drop of approximately 82 meters, while Fudo Falls drops approximately 89 meters. Both are classified as straight waterfalls, meaning that the water falls almost continuously in a single vertical line rather than cascading down a series of steps.
Two waterfalls of such considerable height standing side by side are extremely rare in Japan. Their simultaneous presence is one of the defining features of Yonako Great Falls and creates an exceptionally dramatic view.
The water from the two waterfalls joins streams in the surrounding mountains before flowing northwest through Suzaka and eventually reaching the Chikuma River, also known as the Shinano River. The waterfalls are therefore part of a much larger natural water cycle connecting the mountains with the river basin.
Yonako Great Falls has long been regarded as a sacred place associated with mountain worship and Shugendo, the tradition of ascetic mountain practice in Japan. At the foot of the waterfalls stands the Okunoin Main Hall of Yonako Fudoson, where the waterfalls themselves are regarded as sacred objects and Fudo Myoo is enshrined as the principal deity.
Yonako Fudoson is traditionally counted among the Three Great Fudo Sanctuaries of Japan. The present Okunoin Main Hall was rebuilt during the middle of the Edo period and is designated as a Tangible Cultural Property by Suzaka City.
Surrounded by steep mountains and powerful waterfalls, the site offers a distinctive atmosphere in which the natural landscape and religious traditions are closely intertwined.
Fudo Falls was traditionally used as a place for misogi, a form of ritual purification involving water. The area became known as a sacred center of Shugendo and mountain asceticism.
According to tradition, in 718, Kiyosada, a senior disciple of the Buddhist monk Taicho, helped spread beliefs associated with Hakusan worship in the area. The renowned monk Gyoki is also said to have visited the site.
During the Sengoku period, the warlord Uesugi Kenshin, who served as Kanto Kanrei, is said to have stopped here on his return from the Battles of Kawanakajima. According to tradition, he placed his personal Buddhist image at the site and prayed for peace and stability in the Kanto region. The area was also associated with prayers for protection concerning Hojo Ujiyasu and Hojo Ujimasa.
Yonako Fudoson preserves strong traditions associated with the Old Shingon Buddhist school. Across the valley is the Kimyoyama Taira Site, where the monk Tansho, a disciple of the prominent Tendai monk Tenkai, is said to have practiced mokujiki, an extremely austere form of ascetic practice involving a diet of uncooked foods.
The two waterfalls are regarded as sacred objects together with a standing statue of Fudo Myoo. Fudo Falls is also known as the White Dragon Waterfall, while Gongen Falls is known as the Black Dragon Waterfall.
Together, they are sometimes called the “Two Dragons Waterfalls.” The name beautifully expresses the way religious symbolism and the power of the natural landscape have become inseparable at Yonako.
A lodging and rest facility was built near the waterfalls around 1919. After its operator died in the 2000s, the building gradually deteriorated and remained unused for many years.
Renovation work began in 2018, and since 2023 a project has been underway to give the facility a new life as Nekodake Sanso. Designed as a base that harmonizes with the surrounding natural environment, the renewed facility is expected to provide a welcoming place for hikers and visitors exploring the mountains.
From the Suzaka-Nagano-Higashi Interchange on the Joshin-Etsu Expressway, Yonako Great Falls can be reached in approximately 40 minutes via National Routes 403 and 406 and other local roads. A free parking area is available near the trailhead, making the destination suitable for a day trip by car.
A walking trail of approximately 1.5 hours for one circuit allows visitors to explore the waterfalls and surrounding forest while enjoying seasonal scenery.
Approximately 900 meters from the parking area is a park developed on the former site of a slag deposit from the old Yonako Mine. From this viewpoint, visitors can see both Gongen Falls and Fudo Falls together, creating one of the most impressive panoramas of the area.
The access road was temporarily closed after a section of the forest road collapsed during Typhoon Hagibis in 2019. After approximately four years, access was restored on May 23, 2023, allowing visitors to return to this spectacular mountain destination.
Mount Neko stands on the border between Sugadaira Kogen in Ueda City and Suzaka City. Rising to an elevation of 2,207 meters, it is recognized as one of Japan’s 100 Famous Mountains for Flowers.
The mountain is particularly known for its colonies of Umebachiso, a delicate alpine flower. From summer into autumn, the flowers add seasonal color to the mountain landscape and attract hikers.
To the southeast rises Mount Azumaya, at 2,354 meters. Between Mount Neko and Mount Azumaya lies a saddle known as O-sukima, at an elevation of approximately 2,039 meters.
The Daimyojinzawa and Yonako River both originate around this saddle and flow down different slopes of the mountain. On the western side of Mount Neko, gentler foothills spread toward Sugadaira Kogen, where the landscape is used for ski resorts and pastures.
Parts of the mountain area and Sugadaira Kogen are included within Joshin’etsukogen National Park, helping preserve the region’s rich natural environment.
Mount Neko is situated along the caldera rim of the large Azumaya volcano, which was active approximately 900,000 to 300,000 years ago. The volcanic activity that shaped the mountain also created the dramatic terrain responsible for Yonako Great Falls and the surrounding waterfalls.
Yonako Great Falls is much more than a scenic waterfall. The twin vertical falls, ancient volcanic landscape, sacred mountain traditions, historic cultural sites, and hiking trails together create a destination where visitors can experience several layers of northern Shinshu’s natural and cultural heritage.
Standing before Gongen Falls and Fudo Falls, visitors can appreciate the immense scale of the landscape while also discovering the stories of mountain worship and the people who have regarded these waterfalls as sacred for centuries. Combined with the surrounding scenery of Mount Neko and the Azumaya volcanic region, Yonako Great Falls offers an unforgettable encounter with the wild beauty and deep history of Nagano.