Genbikei Gorge is located in Genbi-cho, Ichinoseki City, Iwate Pref. It is a nationally designated Place of Scenic Beauty, a Natural Monument, and one of Japan’s 100 Scenic Places. The gorge has a lot of pit holes, waterfalls and abysses created by the erosion of the Iwai River, which flows out of Mt. Kurikoma. The towering cliffs composed of dasite tuff, which was blown out at the early eruption of Mt. Sugawa, is constantly eroded by the torrent that rushes down with a roaring sound in a quiet mountain area.
At a hut over the gorge, you can taste “Kakko-dango (rice dumpling),” which is “delivered” from the opposite bank in a basket hung on the cables.
It is said that Date Masamune, the lord of Sendai domain, was very proud of this gorge, saying, “Matsushima and Genbikei are the two proud places in my territory,” and he often visited this place. Genbikei Gorge is the work of art that nature has created for a long time.