Sessho-seki

Sessho-seki ("killing stone") is a volcanic outcrop in Yumoto, Nasu Town, Nasu District, Tochigi Prefecture, located on the southeastern slopes of Mount Nasu in a fumarole field that emits sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. The site is designated a National Place of Scenic Beauty. According to the Noh play Sessho-seki and the medieval text Shinmeikyo, the rock is the transformed remains of the nine-tailed fox Tamamo-no-Mae, who served Emperor Toba in disguise as a court favorite. The Soto Zen priest Gennoh Shinsho is recorded as having split the stone and pacified its spirit around 1380. Matsuo Basho visited the site in 1689 and recorded the toxic volcanic gases in Oku no Hosomichi. The rock split naturally into two parts in March 2022 and is now viewed from a safety fence.