Mount Nokogiri, Motona, Kyonan, Awa District, Chiba 299-1901, Japan
Trademark notch at the top of Nokogiriyama (“Saw Mountain”) near Futtsu in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. The mountain features a distinctive sawtoothed profile of a Japanese saw, due in part to the mountain’s history as a stone quarry during the Edo period. The western side of the mountain is also the site of the sprawling Nihonji temple complex, which is home to two Daibutsu (Big Buddha) sculptures--the largest pre-modern, stone-carved daibutsu in Japan at roughly 31 meters in height, and the Hyakushaku (“hundred-shaku (unit of ancient measurement)) Kannon, a large relief image of Kannon carved into one of the quarry walls. There are also 1500 hand-carved jizou (arhat, or stone Buddha) sculptures, which combined with the spectacular scenery of the Bōsō Hills and
Tokyo Bay, make Mount Nokogiri a must-see (although make sure you bring your hiking boots--it’s a steep climb to the top!).
