Kurokuma Falls (くろくまの滝, Kurokuma-no-taki) is a waterfall in the town of Ajigasawa, Higashitsugaru District Aomori Prefecture, Japan, on a tributary of the Akaishi River, which flows down from the World Heritage Site Shirakami Mountains. It is one of "Japan’s Top 100 Waterfalls", in a listing published by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment in 1990.

Kurokuma Falls
Kurokuma Falls is located in Japan
Kurokuma Falls
Map
LocationAjigasawa,
Aomori Prefecture, Japan
Coordinates40°37′46.2″N 140°6′37.7″E / 40.629500°N 140.110472°E / 40.629500; 140.110472
Typemulti-step
Total height85 m
Average width15 m
WatercourseAkaishi River

The shape of the falls is thought to resemble an image of Kannon Bosatsu with hands clasped in prayer, which had led the waterfall to be regarded as an object of religious veneration. However, the falls are also thought to resemble a standing bear, hence the literal translation of its name as “Black Bear Falls”.

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