Mount Momiji

What it is

• A 263-meter mountain also known as Koarashiyama located in Kuroishi City.
• Nakano Shrine was founded on the mountain in 795 by Sakanoue no Tamuramaro.
• The shrine is dedicated to the deity Yamato Takeru.
• Lord Tsuguru Yasuchika planted one hundred varieties of Kyoto maples here in 1802.

What to see

• Three maple trees and three cedars designated as city natural monuments.
• Two fir trees over two hundred years old protected as prefectural natural monuments.
• A collection of forty-five senryu poetry monuments scattered across the grounds.
• The scenic landscape described by Isabella Bird in her book Unbeaten Tracks in Japan.

Getting there

• Buses run from Konan Railway Kuroishi Station directly to the shrine.
• The site is a ten-minute drive from the Kuroishi Interchange.

Notes written by Japan Gems from facts in Japanese Wikipedia.