Groundwater from the Yatsugatake mountains wells up at this spring, one of Japan’s 100 finest waters. A legend tells of a triangular stone pillar that split the water three ways.
How to enjoy it
At the spring’s outlet, watch the water part three ways around the stone pillar. Learn how the spring works and its history at the Spring Museum first, and it becomes easy to picture villages sharing this water.
Groundwater from the Yatsugatake mountains wells up here at about 10°C all year. Legend says that, to share irrigation water equally among three villages that were fighting over it, a triangular stone pillar was built in the basin at the outlet to split the flow three ways.
The name Sanbuichi, “one third”, is said to come from dividing the water among six villages in three districts. Landslides on the southern slopes of Yatsugatake washed the spring away again and again, and each time it was rebuilt. Its present form is said to date from 1944.
The Sanbuichi Spring Museum beside the park explains how the springs on the southern slopes of Yatsugatake work, and their water quality and history.
In 1985 it was chosen, together with Otaki Spring, as the Southern Yatsugatake Highland Springs, one of the Environment Agency’s 100 finest waters of Japan.
Hours
Open all day
Closed
Open all year
Contact
0551-32-0058
Sanbuichi Spring Museum
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Tip
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Tip
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Tip
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Tip
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