Genbeikei is in the Kurikoma Mountains in southwestern Iwate, and has been popular as a scenic spot since at least the early
Edo period. The first
daimyō of
Sendai Domain,
Date Masamune, praised this area for its scenic beauty. In August 1877,
Emperor Meiji visited the ravine on his travels through the
Tōhoku region, and subsequently
Kōda Rohan wrote a travelogue which drew many visitors to the area. Geologically, the ravine was formed by erosion of a thick seam of
dacite tuff deposited by eruptions of Mount Kurikoma. The erosion has produced strange rock shapes, waterfalls, rapids and the formation of potholes on the river bottom. The ravine can be reached by a bus service from
Ichinoseki Station on the
Tohoku Shinkansen. ==Gallery==