Rainbow Pine Grove - Rainbow Pine Grove

This pine grove stretches along the sand dunes of Matsuuragata, at the inner bay of Karatsu Bay facing the Genkai Sea. It is located in Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture. It is said to be one of Japan's three largest pine groves, along with Miho no Matsubara and Amanohashidate, and is a national special place of scenic beauty. It is about 5 kilometers long from east to west and 400 to 600 meters wide from north to south. It is made up of a forest of black pine trees, with an estimated 1 million trees. It is said that Terasawa Shima no Kami Hirotaka, the first lord of Karatsu, planted more trees in the forest to serve as a windbreak and sand protection, in addition to the original natural forest. It is also known as the place where farmers and fishermen of the Karatsu Domain united in 1771 (Meiwa 8) to gather and launch an uprising against the domain's lord, Mizuno (Niji no Matsubara Ikki). Prefectural Route 347 (Niji no Matsubara Line) passes through the pine grove, and the JR Chikuhi Line runs along the southern edge of the grove. Problems such as exhaust fumes, pine beetles, and false acacia trees, as well as coastal erosion and building encroachment, have been threatening measures to be taken. As part of the Genkai Quasi-National Park, the view from Mount Kagami (284 meters) behind the grove is magnificent, with the Niji no Matsubara arching below. The beach is known as Higashi no Hama Beach, and there are hotels, public lodgings, and campsites.

[Shigeru Kawasaki]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

玄界灘(げんかいなだ)に面する唐津湾(からつわん)の湾奥部、松浦潟(まつらがた)の砂丘列に連なる松原。佐賀県唐津市にある。三保松原(みほのまつばら)、天橋立(あまのはしだて)とともに日本三大松原の一つといわれ、国の特別名勝。東西の長さ約5キロメートル、南北の幅はだいたい400～600メートル。クロマツ林をなし、その本数は100万本にも及ぶという。初代の唐津藩主寺沢志摩守広高(てらさわしまのかみひろたか)が、防風・防砂林などとして、元の自然林にさらに植林を加えたものと伝える。1771年（明和8）唐津藩の百姓・漁師が連合し、藩主水野氏に対して一揆(いっき)を起こし集結した所としても知られる（虹ノ松原一揆）。松原の中を県道347号（虹の松原線）が通り抜け、松原の南縁をJR筑肥(ちくひ)線が通じる。排気ガス、松くい虫、ニセアカシア、さらに海岸侵食や建物の蚕食などがみられ、それらの対策に迫られる。玄海国定公園の一角で、背後の鏡(かがみ)山（284メートル）からの眺望は絶景で、眼下に虹ノ松原が弧を描く。海浜は東の浜海水浴場で知られ、ホテル、国民宿舎、キャンプ場などがある。

［川崎　茂］

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