The Japan Heritage Mitake Shosenkyo Gorge

The mountainous area around Shosenkyo Gorge is a place of water source worship, producing abundant crystals that were once believed to be blocks of water. If you visit the upper reaches of the Arakawa River, you will encounter various waterfalls, gigantic stones and oddly shaped rocks formed by erosion over time, and will be amazed at the grandeur of nature. A new path to the area was excavated during the end of the Edo period (1603-1868), and with the enthusiasm of the local people the gorge has been refined into one of the most scenic spots in Japan. The crystals produced in the Shosenkyo Gorge area and their processing techniques laid the foundation for Japan’s greatest jewelry industry. Furthermore, they developed into the synthetic quartz crystal manufacturing technologies, which are today used in electronic devices such as smartphones and have become an important technology that supports our daily lives.