Historic Sites, Places of Scenic Beauty, and Natural Monuments of Miyazaki

At Izakibana cape in Nichinan, Miyazaki, sea cliffs expose deep-sea rock 40 to 22 million years old, with flute casts, trace fossils and slump folds of rare clarity.

Two Edo-period earthen road markers on National Route 269 in Miyakonojo, the only nationally protected ichirizuka pair on Kyushu, from the old Shibushi domain road.

At Nojima Shrine in Utsumi, Miyazaki, two Akou fig trees about 300 years old spread 40-meter canopies and drop aerial roots—a National Natural Monument since 1941.

Sixteen ancient camphors ring a Miyazaki shrine founded in 737. The largest measures 9.6 meters in trunk circumference. A National Natural Monument since 1951.

On a 700-metre mountainside in Shiiba Village, Miyazaki, this 32-metre Japanese cypress is the tallest hinoki in Japan and a National Natural Monument since 1994.

The Oshima Hatake-da Site, with the newly added Koorimoto Nishihara Site, is a nationally designated historic site in Miyakonojo, Miyazaki, that preserves an unusually complete Heian-period elite residence. A monumental pillar building, square pond, and imported ceramics reveal the wealth of a regional power that linked southern Kyushu to wider trade networks and later to the rise of the Shimazu clan.

Nestled in the valleys of Mount Osuzu in Tsuno Town, Miyazaki Prefecture, over 30 waterfalls form Japan's first waterfall group to be designated a National Place of Scenic Beauty in 1944. Featuring the 73-meter Yatogi Falls — one of Japan's Top 100 Waterfalls — and the 75-meter Shirataki Falls, this pristine mountain sanctuary offers dramatic cascades carved from hard quartz porphyry rock, rare endemic flora, and serene forest trails far from the tourist crowds.

Towering within the precincts of Funabiki Shrine in Kiyotake, Miyazaki City, Kiyotake no Ōkusu is a National Natural Monument: a camphor tree roughly 900 years old, with an 18-meter root circumference and a height of about 35 meters. Its hollow trunk—large enough to hold five tatami mats inside—was reportedly used as an air-raid shelter during World War II. Believed to have taken root at the time of the shrine's founding in 1087, it is affectionately known as Hachiman-gusu. Together with the rare parasitic plant yakkosō and the prefecturally designated Funabiki Kagura, the great tree offers a rich encounter with nature and faith in southern Miyazaki.

Kojima, an uninhabited island off Kushima City in Miyazaki Prefecture, is home to roughly 100 wild Japanese macaques and was designated a National Natural Monument in 1934. Famous as the site where sweet-potato washing was first observed in 1953, it is internationally known as the birthplace of Japanese primatology.

Located in Takachiho, Miyazaki Prefecture, the Gokase River Gorge (Takachiho Gorge) is a dramatic V-shaped canyon carved by the Gokase River through columnar basalt formed by Aso volcano pyroclastic flows. Designated a National Place of Scenic Beauty and Natural Monument in 1934, it features the iconic 17-meter Manai Falls—one of Japan's Top 100 Waterfalls—rental boats gliding through emerald waters, and mythological sites linked to Japan's creation legends.

Kokuzojima, a tiny island off the Nichinan Coast in Miyazaki Prefecture, is a National Natural Monument whose 130-plus subtropical and warm-temperate plant species thrive within a circumference of just one kilometer. Marking the northern limit of the Fukanoki tree and home to the historic Kokuzo-do Hall founded in 1626, the island weaves together rare botanical heritage with nearly four centuries of devotion.

The precincts of Sano Shrine in Takaharu, Miyazaki, were designated a National Natural Monument in 1934 as the breeding ground of the Broad-billed Roller—a brilliant blue summer migrant. Set within a sacred grove tied to Japan's first emperor and centuries-old cryptomeria cedars, this is one of only four such designated sites nationwide, where Shinto faith and the conservation of a vanishing bird converge in a single living landscape.

Standing on the precincts of Shimono Hachiman Daijingu Shrine in Takachiho, Miyazaki Prefecture, this giant ginkgo is a designated National Natural Monument. The female tree exceeds 36 meters in height with a trunk girth over 9 meters, and tradition places its age at around 800 years. Its golden autumn foliage offers a breathtaking spectacle.

Discover Joshinzuka Kofun in Saito, Miyazaki—one of only four 'Ishibutai-style' square tumuli in Japan. Built in the early 7th century, this National Historic Site weaves together terminal Kofun-period burial architecture with a poignant Edo-period legend of the Buddhist monk Joshin, who is said to have achieved self-mummification inside its stone chamber.

On the bed of the Shonai River in Miyakonojo, Miyazaki Prefecture, more than a thousand cylindrical potholes stretch for roughly 600 meters across a width of up to 80 meters. They were carved into welded tuff laid down by the Kakuto pyroclastic flow some 340,000 years ago, and continue to be sculpted by mountain water from the Kirishima range. Designated a National Natural Monument in 1928, this site is one of the largest pothole assemblages in the world and a flagship feature of the Kirishima Geopark, paired with the spectacular Sekinoo Falls.

Discover Mt. Boroishi, a nationally designated Natural Monument in Miyazaki City featuring dramatic tafoni rock formations, ancient evergreen forests, and mountain shrines. Just 30 minutes from downtown, this 509m peak offers unforgettable hiking through the Elephant's Graveyard, Tengu Rock, and the Needle's Ear Shrine.

Miyazaki’s registered properties across designations, with featured heritage and travel notes.

The complete kokuhō catalogue — browse by prefecture, period, and category.

Nationwide jūyō bunkazai — architecture, sculpture, painting, crafts, and documents.