Mount Osaka

A mountain on the border between the western part of Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture and Kyoto City. It is 325 meters above sea level. It is also called Sekiyama. The oldest checkpoint in the Kinai region, Osaka Barrier, was built here, but there are various theories about its exact location and it has not been confirmed. It has often been the setting for songs and literature, and the poems by Semimaru and Sei Shonagon, both of which are included in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu, are particularly famous. The mountain pass on the north side of the mountain is called Kozekigoe, and the road leading to the pass on the south side (162 meters) is called Osakagoe. Since ancient times, it has been a key transportation point connecting Kyoto and eastern Japan, and its importance remains unchanged today, with tunnels running through it on National Route 1, the Meishin Expressway, the Keihan Electric Railway Keishin Line, and the JR Tokaido Main Line.

[Seiichi Takahashi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

滋賀県大津市西部と京都市の境界にある山。標高325メートル。関山ともよばれる。畿内(きない)最古の関所である逢坂関(おうさかのせき)が設置されていたが、その具体的な位置については諸説があり確定はしていない。たびたび歌や文学の舞台となった地で、『小倉百人一首』にも収められた蝉丸(せみまる)や清少納言(せいしょうなごん)の歌はとくに有名。山の北側の峠道を小関越(こぜきごえ)とよび、南側の峠（162メートル）へ通じる道を逢坂越という。古代以来、京都と東日本を結ぶ交通の要地であったが、現在も国道1号、名神高速道路、京阪電鉄京津線、JR東海道本線がトンネルによって通り、その重要性は変わっていない。

［高橋誠一］

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