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Kirishima Kinkowan NP, Kagoshima
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In an illustrated 1866 letter, Sakamoto Ryoma says he and Oryo found the summit’s Ama-no-Sakahoko loose, pulled it out together, and put it back. A projection-mapping exhibit here retells their climb.
The climb had a sweet detail: Ryoma carried castella given to him by samurai Komatsu Tatewaki as his summit lunch. He recorded the trip in an illustrated letter to his sister, part of the story told at this center.
After an eruption destroyed Kirishima Shrine’s earlier sanctuary in 788, monk Shoku rebuilt it at Takachihogawara in 950. Another eruption destroyed the shrine and monks’ quarters in 1234; the nearby Furumiya ruins mark that site.
Every November 10, priests light torches at the Furumiya ruins beside the center with fire kindled by friction, then burn visitors’ prayer tablets. The same ritual is held at the summit of Mt. Takachiho at the same time.
Kirishima’s folk song Ohara-bushi pairs “flowers are Kirishima” with “tobacco is Kokubu.” The native Miyama-kirishima azalea growing around Takachihogawara is the city flower; it usually peaks here around May 15–25, sometimes in white, red, or purple.
A 2022 renewal gave the center three themed exhibits—“Takachiho Now,” “Nature,” and “Culture”—plus a 180-degree theater showing seasonal landscapes and how the volcanoes formed.
The center’s 2022 renovation strengthened its roof against falling volcanic rocks and added multipurpose space that can serve as an emergency shelter. It is both a place to learn about the volcanoes and a refuge designed with their hazards in mind.
