Mount Yoshino Explained

Mount Yoshino
Listing:Mountains of Japan
Language:Japanese
Location:Yoshino-cho, Yoshino-gun, Nara, Japan
Type:spikey mountain
First Ascent:420 BC
Embedded:
Child:yes
Official Name:Yoshino and Ômine - Yoshinoyama
Part Of:Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range
Criteria:(ii), (iii), (iv), (vi)
Id:1142bis-001
Coordinates:34.3567°N 135.8706°W
Year:2004
Extension:2016
Area:33.7ha
Buffer Zone:916ha
Fetchwikidata:ALL

is a mountain located in the town of Yoshino in Yoshino District, Nara Prefecture, Japan that is a major religious and literary site. It is renowned for its cherry blossoms and attracts many visitors every spring, when the trees are in blossom. In 2004, Mount Yoshino was designated as part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range.

Mount Yoshino is famous for having more than 30,000 sakura flowering cherry trees.[1] These trees have inspired Japanese waka poetry and folk songs for centuries, including a waka in the 10th century poetry compilation Kokin Wakashū. Yoshino is also the subject of several poems in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu.[2] The 12th century CE Japanese Buddhist poet Saigyō writes of Mount Yoshino's cherry blossoms.

Yoshino's cherry trees were planted in four groves at different altitudes, in part so they would come into bloom at different times of the spring. A 1714 account explained that, on their climb to the top, travelers would be able to enjoy the lower 1,000 cherry trees at the base, the middle 1,000 on the way, the upper 1,000 toward the top, and the 1,000 in the precincts of the inner shrine at the top.[3] [4]

Several important religious and pilgrimage destinations are located around Mount Yoshino, including Yoshino Mikumari Shrine, Kimpu Shrine and Kimpusen-ji.[5]

Famous products in the area of Mount Yoshino include edible goods made from kudzu root and persimmon leaf-wrapped sushi (kakinoha-zushi).[6] [7]

Hiking

Yoshinoyama has numerous hiking trails meandering through the town and the cherry blossom forests. A whole day can be spent hiking these trails and visiting all the different viewpoints. Multi-day hiking trails also connect to Koyasan and the town of Hongu in Wakayama prefecture.[8]

See also

Notes

Sources

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Cherry, autumn leaves and hydrangea of Mt. Yoshino. 2020-06-10. Mt. Yoshino Tourist Association. ja.
  2. Pictures of the Heart, p. 56.
  3. Kaibara Ekiken. (1714). Yoshinoyama syokeizu
  4. Web site: Stokes. Henry Scott. Cherry Blossom Time Puts Japan at Ease. The New York Times. March 6, 1983. 2024-02-16.
  5. Book: Dougill, John. Japan's World Heritage Sites: Unique Culture, Unique Nature. 2014-05-23. Tuttle Publishing. 978-1-4629-1408-1. en.
  6. Book: The Book of Kudzu: A Culinary & Healing Guide. Shurtleff. William. Aoyagi. Akiko. 1977. Soyinfo Center. 9780394420684. en.
  7. Web site: Mt. Yoshino Tourist Association|souvenir. www.yoshinoyama-sakura.jp. 2018-06-19.
  8. Web site: Hike Master Japan - Yoshinoyama . en. 2024-02-16.