Onami Pond - Onami Pond

It is one of the crater lakes in the Kirishima volcanic group that straddles Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures. It is located in Kirishima City, Kagoshima Prefecture. It is also called "Oonamiike." There are nine flooded craters on the Kirishima volcano, but this is the second largest after Miike on the mountainside, and is nearly circular, with an area of ​​0.4 square kilometers. It is about 700 meters in diameter, 12 meters deep at its maximum, and 1,239 meters above sea level, making it the largest mountaintop crater lake (homate) in Japan. The water temperature changes greatly with the seasons, being close to the air temperature in summer and freezing in winter. As it is a clear mountaintop lake, it is highly transparent and you can see all the way to the bottom. The surrounding area is the core of Kirishima-Kinkowan National Park, and you can enjoy mountain climbing, hiking, highland walks, and skating in winter. This pond has a legend about a beautiful girl named Onami who is the incarnation of the dragon god, and so it was called Onami Pond. It is a 10-minute bus ride from Hayashida Onsen to the Onami Pond trailhead, and a 40-minute walk from there.

[Kimihiko Tsukada]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

鹿児島・宮崎両県にまたがる霧島(きりしま)火山群内にある火口湖の一つ。鹿児島県霧島市にある。「おおなみいけ」ともよぶ。霧島火山には湛水(たんすい)している火口が9個あるが、山腹にある御池(みいけ)に次ぐ大きさで正円形に近く、面積0.4平方キロメートル。直径約700メートル、最大水深約12メートル、水面標高1239メートルで、山頂火口湖（ホマーテ）としては、日本最大規模。水温の季節変化は大きく、夏季は気温に近く、冬季には結氷する。清澄な山頂湖のため透明度は高く、底まで見える。付近一帯は霧島錦江湾(きりしまきんこうわん)国立公園の中核をなし、登山、ハイキング、高原の散策、冬季のスケートなどが楽しめる。この池には竜神の化身の美しい娘「お浪」にまつわる伝説があり、お浪の池とよばれたという。林田温泉から大浪池登山口までバス10分、下車後徒歩40分。

［塚田公彦］

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