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Fuji-Hakone-Izu NP, Shizuoka
Claim this place to tell your story your way.
Otodome means “sound-stopping falls”; its alternate name, Otonashi, means “soundless.” Legend says the roar stopped while the Soga brothers planned revenge nearby in 1193, letting them finish their secret talk.
A 2024 study suggests Otodome retreats as water undercuts weak debris-flow deposits beneath its basalt cap, until rock blocks topple. Fuji’s roughly 10,000-year-old lava and the Shibakawa Fault also helped shape the gorge.
These neighboring falls have different plumbing: Shiraito seeps from Fuji’s volcanic layers, while Otodome is the Shiba River’s main flow plunging about 25 m. One landscape, two water sources.
The Soga revenge story linked to Otodome traveled through noh, jōruri, kabuki, and illustrated books. In Edo, kabuki staged Soga plays each New Year to honor the slain brothers and pray for peace.
Otodome is included under its neighbor’s name: Japan’s national “Shiraito-no-taki” cultural property covers both falls and their surroundings. The area was designated a Place of Scenic Beauty and Natural Monument in 1936.
Otodome’s viewing platform opened in September 2023. The city still manages the surrounding trees, replanting to restore the site’s original vegetation while preserving the historic view of Mt. Fuji.
