Mount Ōyama (Kanagawa) Explained

Mount Ōyama
Location:Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
Elevation M:1252
Map:Japan
Map Size:280
Listing:List of mountains in Japan
100 Famous Japanese Mountains
Translation:big mountain
rain mountain
guardian of the land mountain
Language:Japanese
Pronunciation:pronounced as /ja/
pronounced as /ja/
pronounced as /ja/
Range:Tanzawa Mountains
Coordinates:35.4408°N 139.2311°W
Topo:Geographical Survey Institute 25000:1 大山
50000:1 東京
Type:Volcanic
Age:Middle MioceneLate Miocene
Volcanic Arc/Belt:Izu–Bonin–Mariana Arc
Easiest Route:Hike

, also or Mount Kunimi (Kunimi-yama), is a 1252m (4,108feet) mountain situated on the border of Isehara, Hadano and Atsugi in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Together with Mount Tanzawa and other mountains in the Tanzawa Mountains it forms the Tanzawa-Ōyama Quasi-National Park. Mount Ōyama is a popular sightseeing spot in Kanagawa Prefecture.

Geology

The mountain is made from non-alkali mafic rock. The rock is 7-15 million years old.[1] The rock was extruded on the sea floor during the Neogene and then pushed up and onto the island of Honshu when the Izu–Bonin–Mariana Arc collided with the rest of Japan.[2]

Holy mountain

Mount Ōyama has long been regarded as a holy mountain and object of worship.[3] Religiously motivated mountain climbing has been practiced since the Hōreki era (1751–1764) and the various paths leading there were called . Today this name survives as the pseudonym of Route 246.

At the top of the mountain is the head office of the . Lower down the mountain is the lower shrine and the . Afuri refers to the high amount of rain and clouds associated with the mountain. Farmers pray at Ōyama-Afuri Shrine to Suijin, god of rain.

The mountain is also known as the Guardian of the Land (Kunimi-yama).

Sightseeing

A bus connects Isehara Station on the Odakyu Odawara Line with the cable car station at the foot of the mountain. A narrow road runs directly between the town areas and the cable car station. The cable car starts from next to Ōyama-dera and climbs to the top station. The top station is not far from the lower Afuri Shrine. Hiking from there it takes about 1.5 hours to climb to the top of the mountain.

Tofu and spinning tops are well-known local products. The Ōyama Tofu Festival takes place every March. The Ōyama Mountain Climbing Marathon also takes place in March between Isehara Station and the lower shrine. The course is over 9km (06miles) long and includes an altitude difference of over 650m (2,130feet). Possible access points for an ascent are the cable car terminus, the temple in Isehara, and the in Hadano.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Southern Kanto . May 12, 2007 . Seamless digital geological map of Japan . Geological Survey of Japan, AIST . 2010-10-10 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110430015919/http://riodb02.ibase.aist.go.jp/db084/kihon/southernKanto_e.xml . April 30, 2011 .
  2. Web site: Central Honshu. NISHIWAKI. Hirotoshi. 2009. Introduction to Landforms and Geology of Japan. 2009-03-27. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20101104212212/http://www.glgarcs.net/intro/c_honshu.html. 2010-11-04.
  3. Book: Hunt, Paul. Hiking in Japan: An Adventurer's Guide to the Mountain Trails. Kodansha International Ltd.. Tokyo, Japan. 1988. First. 129–133. The Guardian Peaks of the Kanto Plain: Tanzawa 丹沢. 0-87011-893-5.