[Nikaho City, Akita Prefecture] Until the Edo period, Kujukushima (Zogata) was a scenic spot comparable to Matsushima, but it became land due to a major earthquake - Nikaho Geopark ① Kujukushima (Zogata)

Nikaho City is part of Chokai/Tobishima Geopark , along with the Yurihonjo area in Akita Prefecture, the Sakata area, Yuza area, and Tobishima area in Yamagata Prefecture. It is certified as a Japanese Geopark.

A geopark is a park rich in nature that includes various natural heritage sites related to geology (GEO = earth), such as geological strata, rocks, landforms, volcanoes, and faults. It is a place where you can start by noticing its origins and think about its relationship with ecosystems and people's lives, from the rocks beneath your feet to the universe above you, from billions of years of the past to the future, and the vastness of the oceans and mountains. A geopark is a place where you can think about everything from nature to the living creatures and people who live there. In other words, a geopark is a place where you can think about the earth as a whole.'' (From the ``Mt. Chokai/Tobishima Geopark'' website)

“Nikaho Area” is full of attractive nature created by Mt. Chokai.

The appeal of the Mt. Chokai/Tobishima Geopark "Nikaho Area" is, like other areas, the variety of scenery created by the active volcano Mt. Chokai. It has a dynamic coastline, many large valleys, waterfalls, and wetlands. Among them, ``Kujukushima'' has a unique landscape due to the collapse of Mt. Chokai approximately 2,500 years ago, and has been designated as a national natural monument as ``Kisakata.'' I am.

In addition to the Kujukushima Islands, the scenery created by the eruption of Mt. Chokai is the Misaki Coast, which is formed from lava that is about 3,000 years old, and the mille-feuille-like lava that has flowed out from multiple eruptions. The area is dotted with many places, such as the Naso Valley, which overlaps many layers, and the Shishigahana Wetland, a wetland created by spring water gushing out from the tip of a lava flow. Masu.

Mountain collapses and lava flows caused by eruptions are troublesome earth activities that humans can't do anything about, but one of the attractions of the Nikaho area is the wisdom of people who try to counteract them. In addition, gifts from the earth such as oil and wind have enriched human life.

Let's introduce the "Nikaho Area" geopark, which is full of charm, in two parts.

INFORMATON

• Mt. Chokai/Tobishima Geopark Nikaho Area
• URL: Mt. Chokai/Tobishima Geopark Nikaho Area

Kujukushima (Kujukushima), whose landscape completely changed due to the huge earthquake in the Edo period

Kujukushima (Kujukushima) is a landscape created by the earth's activities, with islands of various sizes emerging from the middle of rice fields Approximately 2,500 years ago, there was a major collapse near the summit of Mt. Chokai, and a large amount of earth and sand flowed down toward the Sea of ​​Japan. The earth and sand filled the sea, forming a shallow lagoon, and the large rocks that fell formed into chunks (flowing mountains), forming islands that poked out from the sea surface. Years passed, and trees grew on the large rock that was exposed, making it look like an "island."

The scenery is reminiscent of Matsushima (Japan's Three Views/Miyagi Prefecture), and Heian period monks and poets such as Noin and Saigyo were so moved by the scenery that they wrote waka poems about it. I did. Matsuo Basho, a haiku poet of the Edo period, visited Kogata because he wanted to see the scenery that Noin and Saigyo wrote about in their waka poems, and he wrote in his book ``Oku no Hosomichi'' (published in 1702) that he was very impressed. It is written down.

But Earth's mischief didn't end there. On July 10, 1804 (in the new calendar), an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 (estimated) struck Kurogata. This earthquake caused the area to rise by more than 2 meters, and the Kujukushima Islands, which had many floating islands, dried up and became land.

Today's Kujukushima Islands used to be a lagoon that has now become rice paddies, creating a rare landscape with more than 100 islands floating within the rice paddies.

INFORMATON

• Facility name: Kujukushima (Kujigata)
• Location: Shioyakijima, Zogata-cho, Nikaho City, Akita Prefecture
• Phone number: 0184-43-6608 (Nikaho City Tourism Association)
• URL: Kujukushima (Kujukushima)
• access:
• Public transportation: Approximately 15 minutes walk from JR Uetsu Main Line Zogata Station
• Car: Approximately 8 minutes from Nihonkai-Tohoku Expressway Kogata IC

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``Buried tree'' buried by avalanche of rocks caused by the collapse of Mt. Chokai

The collapse of Mt. Chokai, which created the scenery of Kujukushima, is said to have resulted in approximately 6 billion tons of sediment (I have no idea how much, but it is equivalent to the amount of dry sediment equivalent to one Tokyo Dome). That means it weighs about 150,000 tons, which is equivalent to about 40,000 Tokyo Dome balls.)

Forests were instantly covered with sand and remained underground for tens of millions of years without being exposed to air. The buried trees (buried trees) were prized as completely dry natural wood that was difficult to obtain, and were dug up all over the country. ) area has been actively excavated since the 1970s. In 2015, about 150 of them were discovered during construction work on the Tohoku Expressway Zogata Interchange along the Sea of ​​Japan coast.

At the Kurogata IC, most of the buried trees were not found standing, but were found toppled. It is thought that this area hit the edge of the earth and sand that was washed away by the collapse of the mountain, and the trees were washed away from the mountainside and deposited there. There was also a zelkova tree that was 10m long and 1.6m in diameter. In addition, by examining the tree rings of buried trees (tree-ring dating method), we were able to determine when the collapse of Mt. Chokai occurred.

The buried tree is on display at Nikaho City Zogata Local Museum

Karato Stone, a valuable rock that shows the uplift caused by the Shogata Earthquake

Karato Stone is one of the rocks that fell from the collapse of Mt. Chokai. It may look like an ordinary rock, but it has been carefully preserved as a witness (rock) to the uplift of Shigata due to the 1804 Shigata Earthquake.

Before the earthquake, the rock was just sticking out of the sea, but after the earthquake, it was completely exposed above the ground. Its height is 4.3m, but there were traces of wave erosion around 2.4m from the bottom, and the rock was submerged in the sea up to 2.4m. In other words, it turns out that the sea floor of Kurogata rose about 2.4 meters and turned into land. Karato Stone is designated as a historical site in Nikaho City.

INFORMATON

• Facility name: Karatoishi
• Location: Nakahashi-cho, Zogata-cho, Nikaho City, Akita Prefecture
• Phone number: 0184-43-6608 (Nikaho City Tourism Association)
• URL: Karato Stone
• access:
• Public transportation: Approximately 5 minutes by taxi from JR Uetsu Main Line Zogata Station
• Car: Approximately 10 minutes from Nihonkai-Tohoku Expressway Zogata IC

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"Nikaho City Zogata Local Museum" exhibits materials related to the origin of Zogata and the "Okunohosomichi"

825-minute Paper Colored Zogata View ' depicting the Kujukushima Islands before they were uplifted, and the 825-minute folding screen depicting the Kujukushima Islands, which had It will be shown in the model reproduced in Part 1. In addition, there are materials related to Matsuo Basho's ``Oku no Hosomichi'', and Shiogoshi flourished as a port of call for Kitamaebune (merchant ships that did big business between Tohoku, Hokkaido, and Kansai while touring ports on the Sea of ​​Japan) from the Edo to the Meiji periods. Materials related to Minato are also on display.

INFORMATON

• Facility name: Nikaho City Zogata Local Museum
• Location: 31-1 Kitsunemori, Zogata-cho, Nikaho City, Akita Prefecture
• Phone number: 0184-43-2005
• Opening hours: 9:00-17:00
• Closed: Mondays, the day after national holidays and substitute holidays, year-end and New Year holidays (December 29th to January 3rd)
• Admission fee: General 150 yen, high school and other students 100 yen, elementary and junior high school students 50 yen
• URL: Nikaho City Zogata Local Museum
• access:
• Public transportation: Approximately 3 minutes by car from JR Uetsu Main Line Zogata Station
• Car: Approximately 3 minutes from Nihonkai-Tohoku Expressway Zogata IC

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Misaki Coast made of lava from Mt. Chokai and Misakiyama Old Highway, which was a difficult point for transportation.

Misaki Beach is a coastline formed by lava (andesite) that flowed out from the eruption of Mt. Chokai about 3,000 years ago and washed up into the sea. The lava flow is about 60m thick, and you will be overwhelmed by its sheer volume.

Located on the border between Akita and Yamagata prefectures, the steep cliffs and rugged lava rock formations along the coastline are a sight to behold.

The Misakiyama Old Highway, which remains on the Misaki Coast, has long been a difficult road connecting Yamagata and Akita. Lava flows from Mt. Chokai fall directly into the Sea of ​​Japan, and the coastline is full of cliffs. There are very few flat areas. Moreover, Misaki has three capes, Kannonzaki, Daishizaki, and Fudozaki, and you cannot get to the other side without crossing three passes. It is said that there were many places on the highway where you would wonder why it was in such a place, and many travelers lost their lives there.

During the Edo period, Basho Matsuo passed through on his way to Nōgata, and Tadataka Ino, who created a map of Japan, and the traveler Masumi Sugae also passed by on their way to the shrine. I am. It is also the site of the Boshin War (1868) that broke out during the Meiji Restoration, when Akita forces such as the Kubota clan clashed with the Shonai clan of Yamagata.

The Misaki Peninsula was named because there are three capes within the peninsula: Kannonzaki, Daishizaki, and Fudozaki. Misaki (Daishizaki) is a nationally designated scenic spot as a ``Okunohosomichi Scenic Spot.''

INFORMATON

• Facility name: Misaki Coast (Misaki Park)
• Location: Kosagawa Misaki, Zogata-cho, Nikaho City, Akita Prefecture
• Phone number: 0184-43-6608 (Nikaho City Tourism Association)
• access:
• Public transportation: Approximately 15 minutes by car from JR Uetsu Main Line Zogata Station
• Car: Approximately 15 minutes from Nihonkai-Tohoku Expressway Zogata IC

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