Geibikei Gorge

▶Origin of the Name
The name “Geibikei” was given in 1910 by local volunteers, including Sato Geigan, who made great contributions to developing it as a tourist destination. The name comes from “Shishi-ga-hana” (“lion nose”), a protruding cliff on the great rock face across from Ranshōkyū, behind Miyoshigaoka, which is the turnaround point for the boat ride.

▶The Man Behind Geibikei
It was Sato Geigan who introduced this gorge, once an isolated and little-known area, to the world. Born and raised in Higashiyama, Ichinoseki City, home to Geibikei, he and his father Dōtan invested their own wealth and worked to develop it as a tourist site, eventually making it known as the “Yabakei of the East” (Oita Prefecture).

▶Geibikei Then and Now
▸Was Geibikei hidden for a long time?
Geibikei only became widely known after the Meiji era. Before that, it is said that many villagers did not even know of its existence. One reason was reportedly to avoid the burden of hosting officials from the domain when they visited. Even in the local gazetteers and illustrated maps submitted to the domain, the existence of this gorge was concealed.

▸What does the “Kibiki” in Kiryu Nabe mean?
The area around Geibikei was once a treasure trove of fine timber, including red pine. The people who cut the trees, loaded them onto rafts, and floated them down the Satetsu River to the Kitakami River were called “kiryū.” The specialty dish “Kiryū Nabe” served on the kotatsu boat is a traditional meal once eaten by these lumber workers during breaks in the mountains. It is a unique local flavor made by simmering chicken, daikon, carrots, burdock root, and other ingredients in miso.

▸A settlement of refugees from Hiraizumi?
About halfway through the boat ride is Kotōkei, a scenic spot likened to China’s Shangri-La. It resembles an ink painting, with a single stream flowing through a gorge between towering cliffs. Behind this serene beauty, it is said, was a settlement of about 30 households where refugees from the Fujiwara of Hiraizumi lived and made a living by extracting iron sand.

▸Why is the bow of the boat flat?
The Geibi boats are skillfully navigated by the boatman with a single pole. Their bows are not pointed, but flat and wide. This design is unique to Iwate, a horse-producing region, and was inherited from horse ferry boats used to load and unload horses.

▸A water that makes you three years younger with one cup?
On the opposite bank from Miyoshigaoka is a spring. This cold water, called Shōhisen, has never dried up, no matter how severe the drought. Boatmen are said to joke that “one cup makes you three years younger.”