Mount Nokogiri (Chiba)
Mount Nokogiri (鋸山, Nokogiri-yama) literally "saw mountain" is a low mountain on the Bōsō Peninsula on Honshu, Japan. It lies on the southern border of the city of Futtsu and the town Kyonan in Awa District in Chiba Prefecture.
| Mount Nokogiri | |
|---|---|
| 鋸山 | |
Mount Nokogiri as seen from the northwest | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 329.5 m (1,081 ft) |
| Listing | List of mountains and hills of Japan by height |
| Coordinates | 35°9′37″N 139°50′27″E |
| Naming | |
| English translation | (wood)saw mountain |
| Language of name | Japanese |
| Geography | |
| Location | Honshu, Japan |
| Parent range | Bōsō Peninsula |
| Topo map | Geographical Survey Institute 25000:1 保田 50000:1 横須賀 |
The mountain runs east to west, having the characteristic sawtoothed profile of a Japanese saw (鋸, nokogiri). It falls steeply into Tokyo Bay on its western side, where it is pierced by two road tunnels and a rail tunnel, carrying the Uchibo Line south from Futtsu to Tateyama. Both features are due in part to the mountain's history as a stone quarry in the Edo period, the marks of which are still picturesquely evident.
The western side of the mountain is also the site of the sprawling Nihon-ji temple complex, which is the home of two Daibutsu sculptures - a huge seated carving of Yakushi Nyorai that at 31.05 metres (101.9 ft) tall is the largest pre-modern, stone-carved Daibutsu in Japan, and the "Hundred-shaku Kannon", a tall relief image of Kannon carved into one of the quarry walls - as well as 1500 hand-carved arhat sculptures, which combined with the spectacular scenery of the Bōsō Hills and Tokyo Bay, make Mount Nokogiri a popular tourism destination.
The temple is accessible by road and by a cable car, the Nokogiriyama Ropeway, which runs from Hamakanaya Station on the JR Uchibo Line to a lookout deck near the top of the temple precinct.
The western end of the mountain falls precipitously into Tokyo Bay, where Cape Myōgane (Japanese: 明鐘岬) is a good place to watch large ships pass through Uraga Channel at sunset.
Highlights
- Mount Nokogiri (background) from Mount Iyogatake
- Mount Nokogiri from Tokyo Bay
- Nokogiriyama Ropeway
- Nokogiriyama Ropeway Summit Station
- Remains of Nokogiriyama Quarry
- "View of Hell" (地獄のぞき, Jigoku Nozoki)