Mount Sekidō

This mountain is located in Nakanoto Town, Kashima County, northeastern Ishikawa Prefecture. It is 564 meters above sea level and is close to the border with Toyama Prefecture. It is mainly composed of granite and gneiss, but there is also limestone, which is used as a raw material for cement and quicklime, and is still quarried in some parts of the foothills. Near the summit are the ruins of Isurugihiko Shrine, an ancient shrine mentioned in the Engishiki, and its branch temple, Tenpyoji Temple on Mount Isurugi. It is said that Tenpyoji was founded by Taicho in the Nara period, and from ancient times to the Middle Ages it flourished as a base for Shugendo, with over 360 monks' quarters, 3,000 monks, and a fief of over 40,000 koku in Kaga, Noto, Etchu, and seven other provinces. It was weakened by the Ashikaga army and then by Maeda Toshiie, and fell into ruin when Shinto and Buddhism were separated in the early Meiji period. It is designated as a national historic site. Isurugiyama village is located at an altitude of about 500 meters, and in the late Meiji period there were 56 houses, but due to depopulation the number decreased to 11 (1980), and the residents were engaged in agriculture and forestry. There is a large prefectural forest, and efforts are being made to reforestation. There are excellent views of the Noto Peninsula and the Northern Alps from the summit, and the mountain belongs to Noto Peninsula Quasi-National Park and Goishigamine Prefectural Natural Park, and there is a hiking course.

[Takao Yagasaki]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

石川県北東部、鹿島(かしま)郡中能登町(なかのとまち)にある山。標高564メートル。富山県境に近い。花崗(かこう)岩と片麻(へんま)岩を主とするが、石灰岩もあり、セメント、生石灰の原料に利用され、現在も山麓(さんろく)の一部で採石される。頂上付近には『延喜式(えんぎしき)』の古社伊須流岐比古神社(いするぎひこじんじゃ)とその別当寺の石動山天平寺(てんぴょうじ)の遺跡がある。天平寺は奈良時代泰澄(たいちょう)の開山とも伝え、古代から中世にかけて僧坊360余、僧3000人、加賀、能登(のと)、越中(えっちゅう)その他7か国に知行(ちぎょう)四万余石をもち、修験(しゅげん)の拠点として栄えた。足利(あしかが)軍、さらに前田利家(としいえ)により弱体化し、明治初年の神仏分離で没落した。国の史跡に指定されている。標高500メートル付近に石動山集落があり、明治後期には56戸を数えたが、過疎化で11戸（1980）に減じ農林業に従事した。県有林が広く、植林に力を入れている。山頂からは能登半島、北アルプスの展望に優れ、能登半島国定公園、碁石ヶ峰(ごいしがみね)県立自然公園に属し、ハイキングコースになっている。

［矢ヶ崎孝雄］

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