Mount Koshin

This mountain is located in Nikko City, in the western part of Tochigi Prefecture, near the border with Gunma Prefecture. It is 1,892 meters above sea level. Along with Mount Sukai and Mount Kesamaru, it is a volcano based on Tertiary rhyolite, but it has been eroded so much that its original shape is no longer clear. Subalpine plants such as rhododendrons and azaleas can be seen, and the area where the Koshinsou grows is a special natural monument. A hiking trail opens up along the Koshin River from the Kajikaso National Lodge in Ashio. It is rich in strange rocks and bizarre stones, such as the Tainai-kuguri, and is included in Nikko National Park. It is said that the mountain got its name from the rocks in the mountain that resemble the shape of a monkey, and at the peak is Sarutahiko Shrine, the head shrine of all the Koshin-ko sects in Japan.

[Mitsue Hirayama]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

栃木県西部、群馬県との境に近く、日光市(にっこうし)にある山。標高1892メートル。皇海山(すかいさん)、袈裟丸(けさまる)山などとともに、第三紀流紋岩を基盤とする火山であるが、著しく侵食されて原形が判然としない。亜高山性植物のシャクナゲやレンゲツツジがみられ、コウシンソウ自生地は特別天然記念物。足尾の国民宿舎かじか荘から庚申川沿いに登山路が開ける。胎内くぐりなど奇岩怪石に富み、日光国立公園に含まれる。山名は、山中にサルの形に似た岩石があるためといわれ、山頂には全国庚申講の総本社猿田彦神社(さるたひこじんじゃ)がある。

［平山光衛］

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