Mount Nokogiri (Chiba)
Encyclopedia
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
.
The mountain runs east to west, having the characteristic sawtoothed profile of a .
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
is a good place to watch large ships pass through Uraga Channel
at sunset.
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
on the Bōsō Peninsula
Boso Peninsula
thumb|Locationthumb|Landsat image with high-resolution data from Space Shuttle is a peninsula in Chiba prefecture on Honshū, the largest island of Japan. It forms the eastern edge of Tokyo Bay, separating it from the Pacific Ocean....
on Honshu
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It lies on the southern border of the city of Futtsu
Futtsu, Chiba
is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of September 2010, the city had an estimated population of 47,705 and the population density of 232 persons per km²...
and the town Kyonan
Kyonan, Chiba
is a town located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010 data, the town had an estimated population of 8,922 and a density of 198 persons per km². The total area was 45.16 km².-Geography:...
in Awa District
Awa District, Chiba
is a district located in Chiba, Japan.As of August 2010, the district had an estimated population of 8,992 and a density of 198 persons per km². Its total area was 45.16 km².-History:...
in Chiba Prefecture
Chiba Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region and the Greater Tokyo Area. Its capital is Chiba City.- History :Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture...
.
The mountain runs east to west, having the characteristic sawtoothed profile of a .
It falls steeply into Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
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
Tateyama, Chiba
is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of September 2010, the city had an estimated population of 49,315 and the population density of 447 persons per km². The total area was 110.21 km²...
. Both features are due in part to the mountain's history as a stone quarry in the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
, 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
Daibutsu
or 'giant Buddha' is the Japanese term, often used informally, for large statues of Buddha. The oldest is that at Asuka-dera and the best-known those of Tōdai-ji in Nara and Kōtoku-in in Kamakura , both National Treasures.- Examples :...
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
Relief
Relief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...
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
Nokogiriyama Ropeway
The is the name of Japanese aerial lift line, as well as its operator. The line climbs Mount Nokogiri from the outer Tokyo Bay coast in Futtsu, Chiba. It opened in 1962...
, which runs from Hamakanaya Station
Hamakanaya Station
is a railway station operated by JR East's Uchibō Line located in Futtsu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It is 64.0 kilometers from the terminus of the Uchibō Line at Soga Station.-History:Hamakanaya Station was opened on October 11, 1916...
on the JR Uchibo Line to a lookout deck
Observation deck
__FORCETOC__ An observation deck, observation platform or viewing platform is an elevated sightseeing platform usually situated upon a tall architectural structure such as a skyscraper or observation tower...
near the top of the temple precinct.
The western end of the mountain falls precipitously into Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
, where Cape Myōgane
Cape Myōgane
) is a cape located on the border of Futtsu and Kyonan, Chiba, Japan, where Mount Nokogiri on its western end precipitously falls into Tokyo Bay.The area surrounding the cape is mountainous and difficult to traverse, but three tunnels allow safe passage via National Route 127....
is a good place to watch large ships pass through Uraga Channel
Uraga Channel
The is a waterway connecting Tokyo Bay to the Sagami Gulf. It is an important channel for ships headed from Tokyo, Yokohama, and Chiba to the Pacific Ocean and beyond.-Geography:...
at sunset.