Kegon Waterfall at Nikko, c. 1920.

Kegon waterfall at Nikko, c. 1920.

“Nikko is said to have forty-eight waterfalls, of which Kegon Waterfall is the largest and it is perhaps the most famous in the whole country of Japan.

“It has its origin in Lake Chuzenji and it is in turn the origin of the River Ohya which runs through the streets of Nikko city.

“Kegon Waterfall, 750 ft. long, top to bottom, which is a grand sight to look at, is named after a Buddhist sutra and attracts many local and foreign tourists all through the year. This waterfall is also notoriously known the country over because many a pessimist throws himself into the waterfall to commit suicide, so that the authorities made a railing around the top of the waterfall to keep the pessimistic people from getting near the cascade.

– “Waterfalls in Japan”, by Frederic de Garis & Atsuharu Sakai, We Japanese, Vol. II, Miyanoshita Fujiya Hotel, 1950

“Aerial Cable-car at Akichihira”, Nikko, c. 1940. The Akechidaira Ropeway reaches an observation deck offering views of Kegon Fall, Lake Chuzenji, and Mount Nantai, first opened in 1933.