| Ryūsendō | |
| Other Name: | 龍泉洞 |
| Map: | Japan Iwate Prefecture |
| Relief: | yes |
| Location: | Iwaizumi, Iwate Prefecture, Japan |
| Coords: | 39.8605°N 141.7973°W |
| Depth: | 249 meters |
| Length: | 3,631 meters |
| Geology: | limestone |
| Access: | public |
| Show Cave: | 1967 |
| Show Cave Length: | 1,200 meters |
| Website: | http://www.town.iwaizumi.iwate.jp/~ryusendo/ |
is one of Japan's three largest limestone caverns.[1] It is located in the town of Iwaizumi, Iwate Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan.
Ryūsendō has an accessible length of 1,200 meters, making it the 62nd longest in Japan; however, its depth of 249m (817feet) from the entrance to its lowest point is the 5th deepest in Japan. The total confirmed length of the cave is currently 3631m (11,913feet), although the cave may extend much further. Further exploration has been banned following a fatality in December 1968. The cave system includes at least four underground lakes, the third of which has a depth of 98m (322feet), and the fourth of which (not accessible to the public) has a depth of over 120m (390feet). The cave system is also home to colonies of Greater horseshoe bat, Eastern long-fingered bat, Brown long-eared bat and Hilgendorf's tube-nosed bat as well as Microbats.
Ryūsendō was designated a Natural monument by the Japanese government in 1934. The caves were opened to the public in 1967. Its underground lake system was designated one of the “100 Famous Springs of Japan” in 1985 by the Ministry of the Environment.[2]
The adjacent Shin-Ryūsendō (龍泉新洞, "New Ryūsendō") caves nearby were discovered in 1967. It claims to be the “first natural cave science museum in the world”, and contains displays of earthenware and stoneware discovered in 1967, together with displays on the geology of the main Ryūsendō caverns.[3]