Chichibu Geopark

Basic points

This is a rock cliff made of limestone located on the western edge of Mount Buko. Coral reef that had grown in the volcanic zone of the South Sea approximately 200 million years in the past had attached to the side of the continental tectonic plate due to movements of the oceanic plate of the Pacific Ocean. After repeated movements, bulging, and erosion of the tectonic plate, the coral reef changed form into its current appearance.

The “Iwakage Ruins” located below the rock cliff was where ancient people lived since the beginning of the Jomon period. Hashidate-do Temple (the 28th temple of the Chichibu 34 Kannon Pilgrimage) is located against the backdrop of this rock cliff.

Hashidate Shonyudo is the only tourist cave in the prefecture and it has a rare vertical shape.