History/Culture
Muroiwa Cave
静岡県賀茂郡松崎町There is widespread ejecta from an ancient undersea volcano across the western and eastern parts of the Izu Peninsula. Izu rose after an era of undersea volcanos, becoming visible. Erosion gave it its current shape. Because of this, we now able to see the beautiful internal structure that back then had been buried underground. Volcanic ash and pumice that accumulated on the sea floor from the undersea volcano ejecta maintained their striped patterns, and as many years went by they turned to rock. These kinds of rocks (Izu rocks) are treasured as they are soft, easy to process, and fire resistant. Up until the start of the Showa period (1926-1989) the rocks were produced across Izu and shipped out. Muroiwa Cave was a quarry that was in operation until 1954. It is a rare place you can go and visit that has been kept in the state it was left in.
