Kakuda Misaki Lighthouse (Hanganfuna Kakushi)

This lighthouse stands on Cape Kakuda overlooking the magnificent Sea of Japan. The observatory at the foot of the lighthouse offers a magnificent view of the horizon. A short climb up the mountain trail behind the lighthouse provides a beautiful contrast between the white lighthouse and the azure sea below, and beyond that, the view is spectacular as far as Sado Island.

A cave called "Hanganfuna Kakushi," where Minamoto no Yoshitsune is said to have hidden himself with his boat, remains just below the lighthouse. It is said that in March 1187, Yoshitsune, who was being chased by his brother Yoritomo, hid himself and his boat to avoid his pursuers when he escaped by sea to Hiraizumi in Oshu.

After passing through the tunnel from the entrance located in the parking lot near the beach, a steep well-maintained footpath leads close to the sea. The right side is 28 meters deep and 4 to 5 meters wide, and the left side is half the length of the right side, 14 meters deep and 2 meters wide. The left one is about half the size of the right one, 14m deep and 2m wide. This natural cave with a sense of historical romance is now designated as a cultural asset of Niigata City.