December/23/2018
The power of nature is always beyond people’s imagination. A while ago I read about a mysterious cave in Takahama-cho in Fukui Prefecture, and I recently went there. (In Takahama-cho, there are a lot of sightseeing spots like beautiful beaches. If you want to know more about them, visit the official English website.)
Takahama-cho is located on the western edge of Fukui Prefecture. Meikyodo, the mysterious cave, is in Shiroyama Park, which is about 20 minutes on foot from JR Wakasa-Takahama Station. The park is on the former site of Takahama Castle, and you can get into it for free. The view of the sunset from the park is beautiful and has been designated as one of Japan’s 100 Most Beautiful Sunsets. I wasn’t able to see the sunset or take any pictures of it, but I found the pictures from Fukui Photo Gallery. (Please see below pictures.)
I saw the cave soon after going into the park. There are seven caves in the park, but Meikyodo is the largest one. It’s been selected as one of the 100 Hometown Views of Fukui.
The cave was larger than I expected, and it was beautiful. Meikyodo faces the sea. It’s said that waves made it by eroding the rocks. I pondered how long it must have taken to make such a big cave.
In both 1393 and 1395, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (the third shogun of the Muromachi shogunate, a figure famous for having arranged the construction of Kinkakuji(The Temple of the Golden Pavilion)) went to Takahama to see Meikyodo. When I was there, it was strange to realize that I was seeing the same cave that the shogun had seen.
In my opinion, there are three good points about Meikyodo:
1. The view of the horizon through the cave is beautiful.
2. The cave is beautifully shaped. It’s shaped like a rugby ball.
3. A beach surrounds Meikyodo, so in summer you can swim to the cave. A lot of children swim there with floats and play in it.
There’s also an observation point in the park, and I was able to see the sea from that.
I took a lot of pictures of Meikyodo.
At one point an unexpected thing suddenly happened. A white ship crossed the water in front of the cave, and I was able to see it through the cave!!!
Meikyodo seemed like an artwork made by nature.
(References):
「福井県の歴史散歩」（編：福井県の歴史散歩編集委員会）（株式会社 山川出版社）
白クラブ http://www.shiro-club.jp/topics/town_project/100806/