Mount Izumi Katsuragi

Mount Izumi Katsuragi (和泉葛城山, Izumi Katsuragi-san) is a mountain in the Kongō Range straddling the border between Osaka and Wakayama Prefectures in Japan. Its peak elevation is 858 metres (2,815 ft).^{[note 1]}

Mount Izumi Katsuragi
和泉葛城山 Izumi Katsuragi-san
Mount Izumi Katsuragi from the viewing platform
Highest point
Elevation	858[note 1] m (2,815 ft)
Coordinates	34°20′53″N 135°26′03″E
Naming
English translation	Izumi Kudzu Castle Mountain
Language of name	Japanese
Geography
Mount Izumi Katsuragi Mount Izumi Katsuragi is located in Kishiwada and Kaizuka, Osaka, and in Kinokawa, Wakayama, Japan
Parent range	Kongō Range

Location and naming

Mount Izumi Katsuragi is an 858 metres (2,815 ft) mountain located on the Kongō Range, straddling the prefectural boundary between Osaka and Wakayama in Japan.^[1][2] Parts of the mountain lie in Kishiwada and Kaizuka, Osaka, as well as in Kinokawa, Wakayama.^[3]

The Izumiyama Chain and the Kongō Range form a 120 kilometres (75 mi) long L-shaped range called the Kongō - Izumi Katsuragi Mountain Range (金剛・和泉葛城山系, Kongō - Izumi Katsuragi Sankei), extending along the border between Osaka, Nara, and Wakayama, including Mount Yamato Katsuragi.^[3] Mount Izumi Katsuragi has been known as the heart of the Katsuragi Mountains since ancient times.

Environs

The north slope of Mount Izumi Katsuragi is covered in a wood of Japanese beech, which favor growing at elevations high enough to remain fairly cool. Harvesting the trees in this wood is forbidden by the association of Hachidairyūō shrines and temples, and this is the southernmost stand of Japanese beech on Honshū.^[4] The trees in the area were designated a national protected species in 1923, allowing them to continue to thrive in an area very close to suburban and urban growth.^[4]

Access and amenities

Mount Izumi Katsuragi is easily accessible by car from three different directions, with all three roads meeting near the summit. There is also a Nankai Wing Bus which travels between the bus stop at Kishiwada Station and the Ushitakiyama (牛滝山) bus stop near the base of the mountain. From there, it takes about 60 minutes to hike to the summit.^[5]

There are no lodging, toilet, or food services at the summit.^[6]

Gallery

• 
  Hachidairyūō Shrine, near the base of the mountain
• 
  Katsuragi Shrine, near the base of the mountain.
• 
  Looking SE from viewing platform
• 
  Looking NNW from viewing platform
• 
  viewing platform

See also

• Mount Minami Katsuragi
• Mount Naka Katsuragi
• Mount Yamato Katsuragi

Notes

1. According to the Hachidairyūō Shrine (八大竜王社, Hachidairyūōsha), the summit is 858 meters in elevation, and many sources use them. However, other sources indicate the summit may be only 865.7 metres (2,840 ft).

References

1. 和泉葛城山 [Mount Izumi Katsuragi] (in Japanese). Yama-kei Publishers. Archived from the original on April 1, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
2. 葛城山 [Mount Katsuragi] (in Japanese). PowderSearch. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
3. 大阪府屋外広告物条例 金剛・和泉葛城山系区域図 [Osaka Prefectural Outdoor Advertising Rules and Regulations Kongō - Izumi Katsuragi Mountain Range Area Map] (PDF) (in Japanese). Osaka Prefecture. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 25, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
4. 和泉葛城山・ブナ林 [Mount Izumi Katsuragi - Japanese Beech Woods] (in Japanese). Kishiwada City. Archived from the original on April 27, 2015. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
5. 八大竜王社 [Hachidairyūō Shrine] (in Japanese). Kishiwada City. Archived from the original on April 27, 2015. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
6. ダイヤモンドトレール [Diamond Trail] (PDF) (in Japanese). Osaka Prefectural Government. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 1, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2015.

External links

• Media related to Mount Izumi Katsuragi at Wikimedia Commons
• Kishiwada City - Mount Izumi Katsuragi - Beech Woodland (in Japanese)
• Kaizuka City - Mount Izumi Katsuragi - Beech Woodland (in Japanese)
• Outdoors and Sports - Kinokawa City Sightseeing Guide (in Japanese)