The area of Takachiho was part of ancient
Hyūga Province. It features prominently in
Japanese mythology as the land where
Ninigi descended from the heavens, sent by
Amaterasu, the sun goddess. It contains the
Ama-no-Iwato shrine which is, according to myth, the location of the cave where Amaterasu hid until
Ame-no-Uzume lured her out. From the late
Heian period into the
Sengoku period, the area was controlled by the Kikuchi clan, which was associated with
Aso Shrine in
Higo Province. The area later was contested between the
Shimazu clan of
Satsuma Province and the
Otomo clan of
Bungo Province. After the establishment of the
Tokugawa shogunate, it was part of the holdings of
Nobeoka Domain. The village of Takachiho within
Nishiusuki District, Miyazaki was established on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. Takachiho was raised to town status on April 1, 1920. Around 1920,
arsenopyrite was mined in the northern part of the town, and the production of
arsenite supported the town's economy until the mine was closed in 1962. On September 30, 1956 Takachiho annexed the neighboring towns of Iwato and Tahara, followed by the town of Ueno April 1, 1969. During World War Two, the
2nd Raiding Brigade trained in the town and were sometimes known as the Takachiho paratroopers. ==Economy==