Mount Hayachine - Hayachinesan

It is the highest peak in the Kitakami Highlands, which stands in the central part of Iwate Prefecture. It is 1,917 meters above sea level. It straddles the cities of Hanamaki, Miyako, and Tono. It is also the main peak of the Hayachine mountain range, which includes Nakadake, Keitouyama, and Kenashimori.

The mountain is a solid hill made of serpentine, with huge rocks exposed at the summit and steep Paleozoic strata overlapping on the southern face, between which spreads a zone of herbaceous alpine plants. The ridge between the main peak and Nakadake, and the bare rock area on the southern slope up to an altitude of about 1,300 meters, are home to communities of xeric alpine plants such as Nambutorano and Hayachineusyukisou. The northern slope shows a typical vertical distribution, with a beech zone starting from the lowland forest along the Hei River, followed by a zone of Aomoritodomatsu, a zone of Pumila fir, and a zone of herbaceous plants. The alpine plant zone, which is 1,315 hectares in area and home to approximately 250 species of alpine plants, has been designated a Special Natural Monument. At the foot of the mountain is Hayachine Shrine at Uchikawame in Osakocho, Hanamaki City, and at the summit is the Okumiya, which is said to have been founded in 806 (Daido 1). The Hayachine Kagura dance dedicated to the shrine is designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan. There are three hiking trails: Osakoguchi, Monmaguchi, and Tonoguchi.

[Kano Seiichi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

岩手県中央部にそびえる北上高地(きたかみこうち)の最高峰。標高1917メートル。花巻市(はなまきし)、宮古市(みやこし)、遠野市(とおのし)にまたがる。中岳(なかだけ)、鶏頭(けいとう)山、毛無森(けなしもり)などからなる早池峰連峰の主峰でもある。

　山体は蛇紋岩からなる堅牢(けんろう)残丘で、山頂は巨岩が露出、南面は急峻(きゅうしゅん)な古生層が重畳し、その間に高山植物の草本帯が広がる。主峰と中岳間の尾根筋、南斜面の標高約1300メートルまでの裸岩地帯にはナンブトラノオ、ハヤチネウスユキソウなどの乾性高山植物群落がある。北斜面は閉伊川沿いの低地林から始まるブナ帯、アオモリトドマツ帯、ハイマツ帯、草本帯と典型的な垂直分布を示している。高山植物は約250種、面積1315ヘクタールの高山植物帯は、特別天然記念物に指定されている。山麓(さんろく)の花巻市大迫町内川目(うちかわめ)の岳(たけ)には早池峰神社、山頂には806年（大同1）草創と伝えられる奥宮があり、神社に奉納される早池峰神楽(かぐら)は、国の重要無形民俗文化財に指定されている。登山路は大迫口、門馬(もんま)口、遠野口の三つのコースがある。

［金野靜一］

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