Islands Stranded in Rice Fields
The Kisakata (象潟) is an area in Kisakata-machi, Nikaho City, Akita Prefecture, where the islands of a former lagoon survive as hillocks among rice fields, designated a Natural Monument in 1934.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs lists it under the criterion for phenomena of crustal movement such as earthquake faults, with a designated area of about 224,670 square metres.
Nikaho City notes that Kisakata was once a lagoon dotted with more than a hundred islands, a famous beauty spot visited by Basho and many other writers.
How It Formed
According to the Agency, Mount Chokai is a 2,237-metre stratovolcano on the border of Akita and Yamagata. About 2,600 years ago, collapse near its summit during an eruption sent a debris avalanche into the Sea of Japan, forming a shallow sea and many small islands, the flow mounds.
A coastal dune closed off this sea to form a brackish lake, old Lake Kisakata, the scene Basho saw in 1689. An earthquake in 1804 raised the land by about 2 metres, draining the lake and creating today's landscape of rice fields around the mounds.
The designation text records sixty-five pine-covered hillocks scattered among the paddies as reminders of the former landscape.
What to Look For
The Agency notes that in spring, when the paddies are flooded, the view from high ground brings back the Kisakata Basho saw.
The former islands dotted across the fields record how volcanic collapse and an earthquake reshaped the land.
Visiting the Kisakata
Kisakata can be viewed from roads and high ground around the fields. As a Natural Monument, the hillocks and their pines must not be damaged.
The Kisakata Local History Museum in Nikaho shows screen paintings and a model of the lagoon era. It opens 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last entry 4:30 p.m.), closed on Mondays.
Q&A
- When was Kisakata designated?
- On 22 January 1934.
- How did the islands form?
- A debris avalanche from Mount Chokai about 2,600 years ago created flow mounds in the sea.
- Why did it become land?
- An earthquake in 1804 raised it about 2 metres, draining the lake.
- When did Basho visit?
- In 1689.
- How is 象潟 read?
- Kisakata.
Basic Information
| Name | Kisakata (象潟) |
|---|---|
| Location | Kisakata-machi, Nikaho City, Akita Prefecture |
| Designation | Natural Monument |
| Year Designated | Designated 1934/1/22 (Showa 9) |
| Quantity | 65 pine-covered hillocks (at designation) |
| Dimensions | About 224,670 square metres |
| Owner | Not recorded in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | Viewable from roads and high ground |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Kisakata (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/401/263
- Cultural Heritage Online: Kisakata (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/215829
- Nikaho City: Kisakata Local History Museum (Japanese)
- https://www.city.nikaho.akita.jp/soshikikarasagasu/bunkazaihogoka/gyomuannai/2/1/1025.html
Last verified: 2026.09.28