Ninety thousand years after a catastrophic pyroclastic flow,
the colorful lands and waters of Bungo nurture all lives

Bungo Ono stands on grounds which were completely buried under the pyroclastic flow from a huge eruption of the Aso volcano around 90,000 years ago.
As time passed, water began to flow into the area, bringing life and abundance back to the land.
Land and water are the sources of all life, supporting and connecting all forms of “inochiki.”*
We see these various types and ways of life as colorful.

*“Inochiki” is the word for “livelihood” used in Oita dialect.

Ninety thousand years after a catastrophic pyroclastic flow,
the colorful lands and waters of Bungo nurture all lives

*“Inochiki” is the word for “livelihood” used in Oita dialect.

Lands Brought Back to Life

The history of life returned with all the colors of the palette
after a huge, destructive pyroclastic flow 90,000 years ago.

Pyroclasts from two huge eruptions of the Aso volcano covered much of the land of Bungo Ono before cooling down and turning into ignimbrite. The columnar joints of ignimbrite often formed long, thin, vertical cracks which then collapsed and left spectacular waterfalls and cliffs.

Memories of a Wild Past

emnants of the Huge Pyroclastic Flows

The natural landscape with thick greenery was reborn when waters began to run once again on the lands buried under the pyroclasts. The Bungo Ono area is lush with nature, spreading out from the Ono River, one of Kyushu's most outstanding waterways.

Flowing with Abundance

Rich Waters and Lush Nature

Bungo Ono is home to more of magaibutsu, or Buddha statues carved in stone cliff, than most other areas of Japan. Many of them are carved into the softer segments of ignimbrite with no columnar joints left after the pyroclasts cooled down.

Mounted Hopes

Prayers in Stone

Sturdy bridges were essential to cross the deep valleys carved into pyroclast plains. People utilized ignimbrite available in abundance to construct more stone arch bridges than any other region in Japan.