Japanese
"San-no-Taki" Waterfall (Third Fall) behind Nachi Waterfall（Nachi-no-Taki, San-no-Taki）
那智の滝「三の滝」
Powerful waterfall called "San-no-Taki" Waterfall (Third Fall)"
In the Nachi Primeval Forest, which has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, you can find the 48 waterfalls (that include the Nachi Waterfall), called “48 Falls of Nachi,” that monks used as training sites for Shugendo (a Japanese mountain-based ascetic practice incorporating Shinto and Buddhist concepts). The falls that follow Nachi Waterfall, which is also known as “Ichi-no-Taki” Waterfall, the first fall of the 48 falls, are “Ni-no-Taki” Waterfall (Second Fall) and then “San-no-Taki” Waterfall (Third Fall). Because of its powerful appearance, San-no-Taki Waterfall is nicknamed “Waterfall of Bato Kannon” (“Hayagriva or Horse-headed Bodhisattva”). You must be accompanied by an authorized guide to go to San-no-Taki Waterfall, since it is located inside the Nachi Primeval Forest, which is normally off-limits.
Information
Access
110 minutes’ walk from Kumano Nachi Taisha Grand Shrine or Nachisan Seiganto-ji Temple. You are not allowed to enter the Nachi Primeval Forest where San-no-Taki Waterfall is located without proper authorization. In February and March every year, the Nachi-Katsuura Town Tourism Association provides the “Mystery Walking Tour” that takes you to the “Three Waterfalls of Nachi,” which include Nachi Waterfall (Ichi-no-Taki Waterfall or First Fall), Ni-no-Taki Waterfall (Second Fall), and San-no-Taki Waterfall (Third Fall).
