Mount Osuzu

This mountain is located in central Miyazaki Prefecture, on the border between Tsuno-cho and Kijyo-cho in Koyu County. It is 1,405 meters above sea level. It is a mountain of granite porphyry that broke through the thick Shimanto Group and intruded into the mountain, and also contains quartz porphyry and rhyolite. The eastern part of the mountain is gentle, but the western and northern parts have steep slopes and deep valleys. The Osuzu Mountains stretch to the northeast, and magnificent columnar joints are developed on the coasts of Mimitsu and Hososhima in Hyuga City. The eastern side of the mountain is the source of the Nanuki River, and many waterfalls are located here, and the Osuzu Mountain Waterfalls are designated as a national scenic spot. Representative waterfalls include Yatoginotaki and Shirataki, which have drops of 73 and 75 meters, respectively. Because it is a mountainous area that juts out into the coastal plain in the central part of the prefecture, it receives a lot of rain and is covered with evergreen broad-leaved forests, and is known as a natural habitat for kale and rhododendrons. It takes about two hours to reach the summit from the trailhead on the Tsuno Town side.

[Junichi Yokoyama]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

宮崎県中部、児湯(こゆ)郡都農町(つのちょう)と木城町(きじょうちょう)との境界にある山。標高1405メートル。厚い四万十(しまんと)層群を破って貫入した花崗斑(かこうはん)岩の山体で、石英斑岩、流紋岩も含まれる。東部はなだらかな山容であるが、西部、北部は傾斜が急で谷も深い。この尾鈴山地は北東方向に延び、日向(ひゅうが)市美々津(みみつ)、細島の海岸では、みごとな柱状節理が発達している。山地東側は名貫川(なぬきがわ)の源流部で、多くの滝がかかり尾鈴山瀑布(ばくふ)群として国の名勝に指定されている。代表的なものに矢研ノ滝(やとぎのたき)、白滝があり、それぞれ落差は73メートル、75メートルである。県中部の海岸平野に突出した山地のため、雨が多く、照葉樹原生林に覆われ、カンランやシャクナゲの自生地としても知られる。都農町側の登山口から山頂まで約2時間。

［横山淳一］

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