Deep Caves. Ancient Stones. Powerful geological forces. These are not the sort of things that come to mind when one thinks of Kyoto. The city is usually associated with graceful geisha and traditional culture, but the wider prefecture of Kyoto holds deeper secrets.
Woodland Kyoto, a vast region in the prefecture’s forested heartland, is celebrated for its beautiful countryside scenery. A lesser-known element of the area is the deep mineral heritage that stands out in a variety of ways, from beautiful natural scenery to high quality stone tools.
This rich rock culture has been waiting millions of years – literally! – for you to come discover it in the highlands of Woodland Kyoto.
A short train ride out of Kyoto city can reveal unique surprises. One of these is the fascinating Natural Whetstone and Hone Museum in the rural city of Kameoka. Whether a novice to whetstone culture or a well-sharpened aficionado of Japanese blades, there is plenty to enjoy here. (Hones and whetstones are hereinafter collectively referred to as whetstones.)
The Tamba Highlands where Kameoka is located are a particularly unique and important location in the history of Japanese blades. The geology here has produced excellent fine whetstones that have been mined for over 800 years. With nearby Kyoto City as the former capital of Japan and Osaka as a major trading center, the location of these mines was perfect for the Kyoto whetstone industry to explode. Furthermore, Kyoto has always been a city of nearly countless Buddhist temples, and the necessity of consistently sharp blades for the priests’ daily headshaving habit also kept the mines busy.
This rich history is kept alive at the museum, a great entry point into the culture of Kyoto whetstones. Museum director Aki Tanaka is a vivacious and articulate woman who discovered a fascination with knife-edges at a young age. “Japan’s cutting-edge technologies can be traced back to traditional polishing and sharpening techniques, and I wanted to know their origins,” she says. It all came together in recent years when she moved to Kameoka and took over the directorship of the museum. Tanaka now welcomes international visitors and offers a special package where she presents the facilities in marvelously descriptive English.
It can be daunting to comprehend the geological forces that resulted in Kyoto’s high-quality whetstones. Thankfully, Tanaka is both skilled and passionate in her explanations. She walks guests through the process, showing stones from different eras and illustrating the differences in an easy to understand way. From 250 million years ago when the finest whetstones were formed, to the samurai era when a sharp blade was a matter of life or death, there are plenty of historical topics on display to educate visitors. A focus is also given to the necessity of quality blades for various crafts, from cypress shaving (which you can try for yourself here) to fish filleting for sushi.
A special experience is available for overseas visitors who want a deeper look and learn some actual sharpening techniques. (reservation required)
First, Tanaka leads guests through the museum’s displays providing interesting explanations. Serious sharpeners take note: if you came to Japan to seek a professional with blade knowledge, she is the one to speak to!
Next, warm up by sharpening a damaged kitchen knife that initially appears beyond repair. Learn the hand techniques of sharpening, including the angle and pressure that are best for a particular blade. A few minutes of persistent work make a world of difference; a chipped and bent blade has been made pristine after only the basic application of one of Kyoto’s precious whetstones.
At last, the moment has arrived to sharpen your own personal blade. Select a kitchen knife that you will bring home to use in the sharpening workshop. A selection of knives is available ranging from specialized to general use, all high-quality carbon steel blades.
Working carefully, a keen edge soon emerges thanks to Tanaka’s easy to understand guidance. The knife is packaged up with a local whetstone to take home, but the most valuable souvenir is the sharpening technique learned firsthand from a dedicated professional.
Other hands-on activities in English are available on most days (reservation required), including a basic sharpening class and a personal whetstone creation experience. Whetstones are available for purchase as well.
Museum admission is free. The special tour in English as described above (tour + sharpening lesson + knife and whetstone) is 28,000 yen and is conducted by Tanaka or another English-speaking staff. Please book from this page. Additional paid experiences available. See website.
Natural Whetstone and Hone Museum
Kameoka Kyoto is a sanctuary of natural whetstones and hones, blessed by ancient crustal movements. Kameoka-sourced high-quality Tamba Aoto and Awasedo stones have supported Japanese culture, includin …
A softer contrast to the blades and stones of the museum also exists in Kameoka. Shakuzen-ji, popularly known as Sakura Tenmangu, is a typical rural Buddhist temple, perched on a hillside in the Hiedano district of Kameoka City near the popular Yunohana hot spring resort area. This area remains rural and mostly undeveloped, meaning that the geological environment has not been disturbed and many unique stones can be found here. The temple’s picturesque stone stairway leads to a modest gate, with a traditional Buddhist hall beyond. But strangely, visitors here don’t congregate around the temple buildings, instead hovering around the edge of the courtyard, their eyes downcast and roving over the mossy gravel.
They are looking for sakura stones, a unique mineral formation that occurs in cordierite that has become mica when it became hydrothermally altered. The long cylindrical stones can be cracked open to reveal a beautiful cross section crystal pattern that is shaped like the six-leafed sakura cherry blossom flower.
If the temple’s friendly proprietress is home, she will gladly show a bevy of sakura stones to visitors. When she sprays them with water, they sparkle and reveal their colors. Cordierite crystals come in a variety of hues, but a deep amethyst violet is the most common. However, the sakura stones from Shakuzen-ji are often a light pink that perfectly fits the cherry blossom motif of the crystal.
What explains this special pink hue? The obvious answer is local geological forces, but another explanation exists that adds a little more color to the legend. When a 9th century court scholar named Sugawara Michizane (who would go on to become a well-loved deity of academics) was exiled from Kyoto as a result of political intrigue, a vassal from Kameoka received a cherry tree from him as a memento. The tree died, but Michizane’s spirit remained. Several hundred years later, when his spirit was officially enshrined at Shakuzen-ji, a formation of sakura stones suddenly appeared from the ground. It was said to be the scholar’s love of the flower that brought the stones to light.
It’s a charming tale, but the reality is that you need to look hard to find the stones in the wild nowadays. Centuries of stone-hunting has made them rare, but it’s not impossible to find some and the search presents a fun challenge. Please don’t remove any stones that you may find from the temple, as the sakura stone is a designated National Treasure. If you can’t find any, ask at the temple building to see their collection to get the best view of these natural delights.
Shakuzen-ji is only a short drive from Yunohana Onsen and is an excellent hidden spot for autumn leaves.
No trip to the region in search of interesting mineral culture would be complete without delving deep into the earth itself. At Shizushi Cave, the only large limestone cave in Kyoto Prefecture, visitors can go on a memorable spelunking adventure.
Situated on a forested slope deep in the mountains of Kyotamba Town and requiring a car to reach, the network of caves was discovered in 1927. The stone here originates from what was once the ocean floor approximately 200 millions years ago. Fossil evidence shows that this was once a thriving coral reef system, existing nowadays as impressive limestone formations and a pit shaft sculpted by millennia of dripping water.
Visitors descend into the cave via steel ladders and walkways, making a full descent 52 meters into the mountainside. There truly is a sense of adventure to be found in this cave, as the entire experience is done completely unaccompanied by a guide. This is a rare chance to explore at one’s own pace, which is usually impossible in tourist caves elsewhere.
Shizushi Cave is fun to explore, with several sections requiring a low crawl under wet stone and a careful descent down a steep ladder to the bottom of the central pit, some 25 meters below the cave entrance. Bats hang along the pathway, so close that you can see their eyes following you as you pass. It’s not an experience for small children or anyone with mobility issues, but it’s a must-do for geology fans and travelers who harbor a sense of adventure.
Business Hours: 9:00 a.m.−5:00 p.m.
(From April to November: open everyday. March and December: open only on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays. January and February: Closed)
Fees: 530 yen for adults, 310 yen for children aged 3 to junior high.
Access (car): Approximately 10 minutes from Kyotamba-Mizuho IC exit on the Kyoto Jukan Expressway (60 minutes from Kyoto City)
Sneakers required, rentals available. No sandals or high heels.
Yakuno Basalt Rock Park
Perhaps the most dynamic display of the power of stone in Woodland Kyoto can be found at the Yakuno Basalt Rock Park. Located in Yakuno-cho of Fukuchiyama City, this is a rare chance to see a powerful moment in geological history frozen in time.
Around 300,000 years ago, Kyoto’s only known volcano erupted and spread lava across the landscape. As the lava cooled and shrank, it settled into columns of six-sided hexagons, a naturally-occurring shape (snowflakes, honeycombs, and even storms on Saturn) that contains a great deal of structural strength. While most of these kinds of columnar formations remain hidden below countless layers of earth, we are able to enjoy this fine rock display here on the northwestern edge of Woodland Kyoto.
The small park features two stone formation areas where the columns can be viewed and an attractive pond. At night, the stones are illuminated, creating a delightful display.
Yakuno Basalt Rock Park Address: 8098-01 Ogura, Yakuno-cho, Fukuchiyama City, Kyoto Prefecture Hours: Always open Access: Take the JR Sanin Main Line and get off at Kami-Yakuno Station. Transfer to a city bus from the station for 6 minutes and get off at Genbugan Koen
