Shiraito Falls

Fuji and the Shiba River gush out from the bedrock of a precipitous cliff and form a waterfall.

It is called “Shiraito Falls” because the cascading water is so thin and white that it looks as if it is dripping with silk thread.

This waterfall is 200 meters wide and 20 meters high. The entire surface of the curved cliff is covered with waterfalls of various sizes, which flow down beautifully like silken threads.

The water falling down can reach a volume of 1.5 tons per second. If you go close to the waterfall basin, the sight of water cascading down in an arch from three directions is fantastic.

Wisteria in the spring and autumn leaves in the fall add color to the waterfall, further enhancing its beauty. Together with the neighboring Oto-no-taki Falls, it is also famous as a cool spot in summer.

Shiraito Falls has been selected as one of the 100 best waterfalls in Japan, as well as being designated as a national scenic beauty and a natural monument.

Fuji - Object of Faith and Source of Art” and is registered as a World Cultural Heritage site.

Shiraito Falls has long been known as a scenic spot, and in the 15th volume of “Nobunaga no Koki,” it is written, “There is a famous Shiraito Falls in the western mountains.

In modern times, it was also an important pilgrimage site for Fuji-ko devotees, and a monument erected in the Tempo era (1868-1912) in honor of Shokugyo Shinroku still remains.

In Kaei 7, Shiraito Falls was visited as a pilgrimage site, as described in the autobiography of a Fuji Ko devotee.

Just above the waterfall is a rock cave from which gushes water called “Obakimizu.

Legend has it that Minamoto no Yoritomo drank this water to mend the frayed ends of his hair during his Fuji Makigari hunt, and it is also one of the sacred places of the Fuji Ko sect.

There is an anecdote that Minamoto no Yoritomo wrote a waka poem, “On top of this waterfall, there is a princess, a princess, a princess, a princess, a princess.

(What beautiful princess is there above this waterfall, Shiraito Falls, with water cascading down like threads?)

Shiraito Falls is also a favorite subject for paintings, and was depicted by artists such as Taiga Ike.

Taiga’s “Fuji Shiraito Falls” and “True View of Shiraito Falls” depict Shiraito Falls along with Mt.