It was created 20,000 years ago when Mount Nantai (2484 m) erupted and blocked the river.

Chuzenji Lake was discovered in 782 by a priest named Shōdō when his group succeeded in climbing Mt.

Other sites around the lake include Futara Shrine built in 790, Chuzenji Temple, and Kegon Falls.

In summer, people can escape the heat and enjoy bird watching and hiking.

The lake was a favourite summer haunt of Sir Ernest Satow when he was Britain's envoy in Japan from 1895 to 1900, as his diaries of that time attest.