Suishantan no Taki (Waterwheel Valley Falls)
- Modification： 2024/01/11
- Area: issou
The name of this waterfall, which is part of the small Tenōto River (“Metropol Eaves of the Hand” River) is thought to have come from a small watermill that was once situated on its left banks and used in the production of incense here pre-WWII.
Until about 1946 (Shōwa 21), this watermill was used to power more than five wooden mechanical mortars and pestles, which crushed the dried leaves and bark of the santabu tree (an endemic species of laurel) into powder. This powder was then packaged into bags of about 20kg each, then sent to Fukuoka where they were made into incense.
This waterfall flows year-round with water, and has been used and loved as a resting spot for the youths of Issou Junior High School—which was founded in 1949 (Shōwa 24), but now stands empty following the 2010 consolidation of the junior high schools of Yakushima’s northern villages into Miyanoura’s Chuo Junior High School.
