SPOT
Kohoro Cave Site (Iwaya Kannon)
Overview
Surrounded by a small bay and cliffs, visitors can experience the mysterious atmosphere of Kohoro Cave, which was formed approximately 3 million years ago when an undersea volcano erupted and the terrain was scraped by waves.
Inside the cave, a statue of the Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy, is enshrined, said to have been carved in the cave by Enku Shonin.
A long time ago, a Haikoku monk walking along the Rebunka mountain path encountered a large bear, and in his desperate attempt to escape, he found himself in the cave of Kohoro. When he found a statue of Buddha in the cave, he hid behind it, and the bear bit off the statue's head and left. Thanks to this, the traveling monk was saved, and he told the Kotan people of Rebunka about it.
This legend is said to have led people to revere this Buddha image as the "Headless Kannon.
In 2010, the coast around the Kohoro Cave was designated as a World Geopark geosite. We hope that visitors to this precious and unexplored region will take time to appreciate the beauty of the formations created by nature as well as the historical background of the area.
Location
Rebunka, Toyoura-cho, Abuta-gun, Hokkaido
Access
Walk from JR Koboro Station
parking lot
None
スポット運営者
教育委員会生涯学習課社会教育係
