Kanmuriyama Mountains

Japanese: 冠山山地 - かんむりやまさんち

This mountain range forms the western edge of the Chugoku Mountains. It straddles Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, and Shimane prefectures. Its main peak is Mount Kanmuriyama (1,339m), and from the north there are other 1,000m-class mountains such as Mount Asa (1,218m), Mount Osa (1,069m), Mount Osorakan (1,346m), and Mount Rakan (1,109m). The mountain range is characterized by fault topography running from the northeast to the southwest. Both the main and tributaries of the Ota River originate in this mountain range, and deep valleys are carved along the fault lines. Sandankyo of the Shibaki River and Takiyamakyo of the Takiyama River are representative examples of this. Many dams have been built on the Hiroshima side to regulate the water volume of the Ota River and generate electricity. The area was once known for its tatara iron smelting, and was a major producer of iron sand and charcoal for fuel. The forest consists of a mixture of cool temperate beech forests and warm temperate broadleaf forests such as Tsuga and Quercus salicina. Due to the natural scenery of the fault topography of the granite area and deep gorges, part of the area has been designated as the West Chugoku Mountains Quasi-National Park, and ski resorts are opened in various places in the winter.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

中国山地の西縁をなす山地。広島県，山口県，島根県にまたがる。冠山 (1339m) を主峰とし，北から阿佐山 (1218m) ，大佐山 (1069m) ，恐羅漢山 (おそらかんざん。 1346m) ，羅漢山 (1109m) など 1000m級の山が続く。山地一帯は北東から南西方向の断層地形が発達する。太田川の本・支流はいずれもこの山地に源を発し，断層線に沿って深い谷を刻む。柴木川の三段峡や滝山川の滝山峡はこの代表である。広島県側には太田川の水量調節と発電用のダムが数多く建設されている。かつてはたたら製鉄で知られ，砂鉄の採取，燃料用木炭の生産が盛んであった。林相は冷温帯林のブナ林とツガ，ウラジロガシなど暖帯広葉樹の混合林をなす。花崗岩地帯の断層地形と深い峡谷の自然景観から，一部は西中国山地国定公園に指定され，冬はスキー場が各地に開かれる。

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