Mount Hiko - Hikosan

This volcano lies on the border between Soeda Town, Tagawa County, Fukuoka Prefecture and Nakatsu City, Oita Prefecture, and has an elevation of 1,199 meters. It is the main peak of the Hikosan volcanic group, which was formed by the dissection of part of the Yabakei lava plateau, which is mainly made of andesite. The summit area consists of three peaks, Kitadake, Nakadake, and Minamidake, and Hikosan Jingu Kamigu is located on Nakadake. It has long been known as a sacred mountain of mountain worship, along with Omineyama in Yamato and Haguroyama in Dewa, and at its peak, it was a place of ascetic training for mountain priests, with over 3,800 monks standing at the foot of the mountain. However, it declined after the separation of Shinto and Buddhism in the Meiji period, and many of the monks' remains have been turned into rice fields. While the area is rich in cultural assets such as the Hoheiden (Hoheiden), a nationally designated important cultural property, the copper torii gate, and the former Kameishibo Garden, said to have been made by Sesshu and designated as a national scenic spot, it is also a treasure trove of flora and fauna, and is covered with virgin beech and beautiful cedar forests, including the Oni Sugi (a nationally designated natural monument) tree, which is over 1,000 years old. It is designated as the Yaba-Hita-Hikosan Quasi-National Park, and the view from the summit is magnificent. Takanosuyama in the northeast is a strange peak of a butte volcano, which is also a nationally designated natural monument. There are facilities such as a national lodging house, a youth center, and a campsite, and it is a convenient recreational spot in Kitakyushu throughout the year, attracting many tourists and worshippers. National Route 500 passes through the northern foot of the mountain, and it is a 20-minute bus ride from Hikosan Station on the Kyushu Railway Hitahikosan Line to Jinjashita, and a 2.5-hour walk to the summit.

[Masaaki Ishiguro]

"Tagawa Local History Research Group, ed., Hikosan, Revised Edition (1978, Ashi Shobo)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

福岡県田川郡添田(そえだ)町と大分県中津(なかつ)市との境にある火山で、標高1199メートル。おもに安山岩からなる耶馬(やば)渓溶岩台地の一部が開析されてできた英彦山火山群の主峰で、山頂部は北岳、中岳、南岳の三峰からなり、中岳に英彦山神宮上宮がある。古くから大和(やまと)の大峰(おおみね)山、出羽(でわ)の羽黒(はぐろ)山と並ぶ山岳信仰の霊山として知られ、山伏の修験(しゅげん)場として盛時には山麓(さんろく)に3800余の坊舎が建ち並んでいたが、明治以降は神仏分離で衰退し、坊舎跡の多くは水田にかわった。国指定重要文化財の奉幣殿(ほうへいでん)、銅(かね)の鳥居、雪舟の作といわれ国の名勝に指定されている旧亀石坊(かめいしぼう)庭園などの文化財に富む一方、動植物の宝庫で、樹齢1000年を超える国指定天然記念物の鬼スギをはじめ、ブナの原生林やスギの美林に覆われて、耶馬日田(ひた)英彦山国定公園の指定を受けており、山頂からの眺望は雄大である。北東部にある鷹(たか)ノ巣山はビュート火山の奇峰で国指定天然記念物となっている。国民宿舎、青年の家、キャンプ場などの設備があり、一年を通じて北九州の手軽なレクリエーション地として行楽、参拝客が多い。国道500号が北麓を通り、九州旅客鉄道日田彦山(ひたひこさん)線彦山駅より神社下までバスで20分、山頂まで徒歩で2時間半ほどかかる。

［石黒正紀］

『田川郷土研究会編『英彦山』増補版（1978・葦書房）』

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