Minou Mountains - Minousanchi

This mountain range, also written as Minawa Mountains, is a tilted land mass that stretches east to west for about 20 kilometers south of the midstream of the Chikugo River in southern Fukuoka Prefecture. A flat ridge that gradually increases in height from Mount Kora (312 meters) on the western edge to Mount Hosshin (698 meters) and Mount Takatori (802 meters) extends eastward to the Tsue Mountains on the border with Oita Prefecture. Most of the range is made up of crystalline schist (metamorphic rock), but east of Oze Minano Pass (553 meters) it is covered in volcanic rocks such as andesite. The northern slope is a magnificent, straight-line fault scarp, thought to be part of the Median Tectonic Line (Matsuyama-Imari Line), and a continuous alluvial fan develops at the foot of the mountain. The cultivation of persimmons, grapes, mandarin oranges, and seedlings is thriving, and the area has a long history of development, with many ancient tombs. The southern slope is gentle, and in the Hoshino River basin, a tributary of the Yabe River, the land is used for rice paddies and tea fields up to the summit. In 1971 (Showa 46), the Mino Skyline, which makes use of the flat ridge and offers excellent views, was opened. It is included in the Chikugo River Prefectural Natural Park.

[Masaaki Ishiguro]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

福岡県南部、筑後川(ちくごがわ)中流の南を東西に20キロメートル余り続く傾動地塊の山地で、水縄山地とも書く。西端の高良(こうら)山（312メートル）から発心(ほっしん)山（698メートル）、鷹取(たかとり)山（802メートル）と徐々に高度を増す起伏の少ない尾根が東に延び、大分県境の津江山地(つえさんち)に連なる。大部分が結晶片岩（変成岩）からなるが、合瀬(おうぜ)耳納峠（553メートル）以東では安山岩などの火山岩に覆われている。北斜面は直線的なみごとな断層崖(がい)で、中央構造線（松山―伊万里(いまり)線）の一部と考えられ、山麓(さんろく)に扇状地が連続的に発達、カキ、ブトウ、ミカン、苗木などの栽培が盛んで、開発の歴史は古く古墳も多い。南斜面は緩傾斜で、矢部(やべ)川支流の星野川流域では山頂近くまで水田や茶畑に利用されている。1971年（昭和46）平坦(へいたん)な尾根を利用して展望に優れた耳納スカイラインが開通。筑後川県立自然公園に含まれる。

［石黒正紀］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例