- City of Oita
- Nature
Mount Takasaki
Photography／ISHIMATSU Takeo
Symbol of Beppu Bay
Mount Takasaki stands in front of Beppu Bay, on the far west side of City of Oita, almost nearing the border of City of Beppu, 628 meters above sea level. It is a helmet-shaped steep mountain you can see from the urban areas of both cities, and is a high rising cape just as the name suggests (Takasaki stands for “high cape”), making it a great landmark for sailing ships. It is also a symbol of Beppu Bay.
Since the mountain looks like piles of firewood, it also used to be called Mount Shibazumi (shiba for “woods,” zumi for “piles of”) or Mount Shibazu, which eventually became Mount Shihatsu over the course of being the theme of poems and such. Takechi no Kurohito’s poem in Manyo-shu collection, which reads “Climbing over Mount Shihatsu, I see Kasanui Island and a simple little boat rowing forth to disappear,” is said to be about the Mount Takasaki.
In the older days, there were fire pits to contact Bungo regional government, and the castle of the Otomo clan was established during the Middle Ages. The large masonry hole which remains on the peak is said to be the kiln to fire the signal, or it could be an aquarium tank for the castle. During the Nanbokuchou (the Northern and Southern Courts) era, there is a record of war, where traces of the structure of the castle on top of the mountain including the fort and outer moat still remain till present.
The nature has also been relatively well preserved, however speaking of Mount Takasaki, we are more reminded of the wild monkeys. In the old records, it is also said many monkeys inhabited the mountain. They have been feeding the monkeys after the World War II, and it became a natural zoo to function as a tourist attraction as well as a place for ecological research.
The monkey park is in the premises of Manjuji Temple Branch, which has long been known for its training in Zen meditation, and the ecological aquarium, Marine Palace “Umitamago Aquarium” is also located on the coast nearby. It offers a great access in terms of transportation, as it is right off National Route 10/Betsudai.
However, it is only recent that the national route reached the seaside. There used to be only a narrow and dangerous road off cliff. People coming and going had a hard time even passing each other, and they used to have to wait when they saw people coming from the opposite direction. For this reason, it was normal to go over the south of the mountain until the Edo period, which was the Zenigame Touge/Akamatsu Touge Pass. If Takechi no Kurohito was to “climb over” any mountain, it must have been this road. Currently, the Oita Expressway runs near the Touge Pass. It almost feels like the old public road was regenerated into the present days.
Wild monkeys inhabiting in the Mount Takasaki. It is designated as a natural monument to preserve their habitat by the government.
