Sandanbeki (Japanese: 三段壁) is located in Shirahama (白浜町), Nishimuro District (西牟婁郡), Wakayama (和歌山) Prefecture, Japan. This rock wall consists of approximately two kilometers of steep cliffs which are 50 meters high.
Tourists can take the elevator down 36 meters of solid rock to sea level to enter a big cave, the real secret of Sandanbeki.
The cave is a mixture of natural erosion and manual labour and has had some restoration work recently, featuring a restored navy guardhouse.
The cave also houses an impressive shrine to Benzaiten (弁財天), a deity of wisdom and wealth.
The cave was used by pirates during the 8th Century as a secret stronghold. A particularly notorious pirate called Tagamaru (多賀丸) used to raid ships and coastal villages.
Deep inside the cave you can watch and feel the power of the waves, stay away from the coast if you don’t want to get wet.
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Sandan (三段), The first two kanji of Sandanbeki, can also be read as ‘midan’ (見段), which means a viewing platform or lookout.
