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Chubu-Sangaku NP, Toyama
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In spring’s snowmelt—or after heavy rain—neighboring Hannoki Falls appears at about 500m, roughly 150m taller than Shomyo, Japan’s tallest continuously flowing waterfall. Together, they can form a striking V.
Shomyo Falls is still retreating upstream. About 70,000 years ago, it lay near today’s Tateyama Station, roughly 7km downstream; its erosion carved the 500m Akashiro no Kabe, or “Devil’s Castle Wall.”
Japan’s tallest continuously flowing waterfall reaches 350m, but its 4 main tiers total 316m. Two smaller drops add 30m, and a sloping section adds another 4m to the official total.
Selected for Japan’s 100 Soundscapes in 1996, Shomyo’s roar is said to resemble “Namu Amida Butsu.” Tateyama Museum research traces the familiar 称名 spelling to this chanting legend in the late Edo period.
Among 53 Tateyama Mandala paintings examined by museum researchers, one version alone carries “Namu Amida Butsu” in black ink along the painted Shomyo Falls. A second scroll’s similar words appear to be a later addition.
At high flow, more than 10 tonnes of water can plunge over Shomyo Falls every second. The spray sometimes reaches the closest lookout, where sunlight can produce a rainbow in the mist.
