Let’s Visit a Neighbourhood Peak: To Mt. Jitango 寄ジタンゴ山 2

 

There are several routes to the peak of Mt. Jitango ジタンゴ山. Come to think of it, the place was in community use. Several routes would have been developed naturally. Among them, the longest is a kind of shortcut connecting Yadoriki Community to Hadano Pass 秦野峠 and to Lake Tanzawa 丹沢湖. It’s about 10 hours walk in total for us … it would be a route shorter for yester-century’s mountain community. Let’s take the other itinerary for our leisurely day-hiking. It goes like this for a very slow walk:

0:00 Yadoriki Ohtera-bashi Bridge 大寺橋

1:00 The end of a paved forestry road

1:20 The peak of Mt. Jitango (ASL 757.9m)

1:50 Meeting paved Miyachi Forestry Road 宮地林道

2:20 Entering the trekking road to Mt. Miyachi 宮地山

2:50 The peak of Mt. Miyachi (ASL 512m)

3:50 Tashiro Mukai Bus Stop 田代向

When we include short rests and lunch time, it would be about 5-5:30 walk. Not bad for a day hike. Another good thing about this course is there is no cliff or place needing chains or ropes. Of course, steep climbs/descends are there as we’re in Tanzawa 丹沢, but the route would be OK as long as you’re prepared enough water, food, and equipment for emergency (for rain, etc.), in addition to, needless to say, good shoes. 😉

The start is a bridge next to Yadoriki Bus Stop 寄. The commuter bus service to the terminal stop at Yadoriki is from Odakyu Shin-Matsuda Station 小田急新松田駅 (: timetable for the bus services is here). After about half an hour bus ride, we’re at the terminal Yadoriki Stop. When you arrive there, you’ll find a bridge over Nakatsu River 中津川 almost in front of you. That’s Ohtera-bashi Bridge. Please cross it and go straight into Ohtera Community 大寺 of Yadoriki. “Yadoriki” was established in 1876 as one administrative unit made of formerly independent 7 villages of the area. Ohtera Community was one of such villages. Thinking of the location, I guess the village had a large say in management of the field of sedges at the top of Mt. Jitango. Just follow the meandering paved commuter road going through the housings, tea plantations and veggie fields. Here and there you’ll find a smaller paved way, but don’t deviate. Always choose (relatively) wider paved road which is a community forestry road. After both sides of the road becoming simply a forest, there will be a signpost saying, “This way: hiking road to Mt. Jitango.” Er, yeah, you can choose that route which will in the end join our route today. I recommend not entering it but proceeding on the paved road. Reason? Yeah, the route suggested by the post is a standard hiking road, but both sides of this direction are artificially created coniferous forests which could be … boring.

Bridge and Bus Stop

Beyond the bridge is slightly going up.

This way to Mt. Jitango through tea plantations.

You see? Don’t turn right here, but go straight!

The condition of the road eventually becomes like this.
Never mind!

Interestingly, the paved forestry road runs in the mixed forest of afforested conifers and more natural broad-leaved trees. Especially when you’re interested in admiring the variety of broad-leaved vegetation with more diversity in forest floors, this is the way you will choose. Besides, it’s a paved road with very low car traffic, albeit the maintenance of it might be almost forgotten. It could be easier for casual hikers to enjoy Tanzawa’s forest, just like via Mikurube Forestry Road 三廻部林道 (; my posts on November 26 and December 3, 2021). The end of the paved road is an open space where the road from the first signpost “to Mt. Jitango” joins with the forestry road. A laminated direction is pasted on one of the trees, saying “Mt. Jitango, this way.” Simply follow the direction for a narrower unpaved trekking road. Soon our itinerary becomes a real climb where you may feel out of breath. The environment around the route is a mixed forest with afforested confers and natural broad-leaved trees. After less than 30 minutes ascend, we’ll see a ridge before us and in no time the garden of Enkianthus perulatus begins. Welcome to the peak of Mt. Jitango!

Spotted Bellflowers we meet along this route is
Campanula punctata Lam. var. hondoensis (Kitam.) Ohwi,
 an endemic variant of Campanula punctata.
Just like straight hairs of ladies in ancient pictures of Japan,
they have straight calyx lobes without curly appendage
as their cousins of Campanula punctata in more lower altitudes.

We found fallen hairs of deer on the road.

I guess in autumn, the leaves here have
beautiful red and yellow colors that would make
a good contrast with the evergreen of conifers background.

The trekking road departed from our forestry road will join …

here in the end of paved road with a wider space.
The bottom of the picture is the direction we take.

The laminated paper says “Mt. Jitango this way.”

The road becomes like this.

Mixtures of conifers and broad-leaved trees

Almost there …

Welcome to the garden of Enkianthus perulatus!

From the peak to the south, we can see the spread of Odawara City 小田原市, Enoshima Island 江の島, Miura Peninsula 三浦半島, and if weather permits Boso Peninsula 房総半島 beyond Sagmi Bay 相模湾. The island floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean is Ohshima Island 大島. To the west, we can identify the towns and cities on the slope of Mt. Fuji including Gotemba City 御殿場市. If it’s fine weather Mt. Fuji 富士山 is over there. The peak of Mt. Jitango is a relaxing open space that is good for a long coffee break or lunch. In July, we started our walk at 9:00 from Yadoriki Bust terminal and arrived there before 10:30, a bit early for lunch. So, we had a long tea break in a misty rain but open sky. From there in today’s itinerary, we proceed following the signpost saying “To Hadano Pass.” Don’t be intimidated by this sign. Follow this direction. After about 20 minutes of rapid descending, we’ll meet another forestry road named Miyachi Forestry Road. This is the junction to Hadano Pass or to Mt. Miyachi. Today, we take the descending direction of Mt. Miyachi. Oh, if you’re interested in Hadano Pass, it’s about 2 hours climb from here with a point after the paved road where we had to ask chains to go over a rocky cliff. You need stamina and proper preparation, I tell you.

The peak of Mt. Jitango

Sagami Bay from Mt. Jitango.
Could you figure out Enoshima Island over there?

To the direction of Gotemba City

The top of Mt. Jitango is surrounded by the garden like this.

Take the route pointed to “Forestry Road / Ameyama Pass.”

It’s really a rapid down.

Here we meet another forestry road. The junction.

This is to Hadano Pass, but

Today, we take this opposite descending direction.

As of July 2023, the Miyachi Forestry Road looked like a recently renovated road. It could be a relatively easy route. Both sides are afforested conifers, but the forest floor here could have interesting features including the species from orchid family. Let’s enjoy the environment nature can provide, which is a luxury available only for an itinerary with time to spare! Eventually we’ll come to a place with a space on our left where the paved forestry road makes a big curve to the right. At the end of an open space there is another trekking road descending. It’s the beginning to the way to Mt. Miyachi. Let’s dive in. Oh, we had lunch there. It’s a matter of preference, but the peak of Mt. Miyachi does not have a view. Here in the open space, we can enjoy the view to Mt. Takamatsu 高松山 (; my posts on January 7 and 14, 2022). Next week, I continue from here to returning to Yadoriki Community.

The road is well maintained this time.

Large broad-leaved trees
also adorned the forestry road.

An open space and
the beginning of a trekking road to Mt. Miyachi

A view where we had lunch.
It’s the slope of Mt. Takamatsu in front of us.

Cyrtosia septentrionalis

If you find environmental issues in Kanagawa Prefecture, please make a contact with Kanagawa Natural Environment Conservation Center 神奈川県自然環境保全センター

657 Nanasawa, Atsugi City, 243-0121
〒243－0121　厚木市七沢657
Phone: 046-248-0323

You can send an enquiry to them by clicking the bottom line of their homepage at http://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/div/1644/

Forest and People, Now and Then: Yadoriki Community and Mt. Jitango 寄ジタンゴ山 1

 

Yadoriki Community 寄 is in a deep mountainous area of Western Tanzawa 丹沢. It has a long history. Yadoriki Shrine 寄神社 that sits in the center of the community appears in Azumakagami 吾妻鏡 written in the middle of the 13th century. People have lived their lives conversing with the mountain nature surrounding the valley. There is not much virgin forest especially in the area less than ASL 1000m. It’s because people utilized the bounty from the forest around them for centuries. Now many slopes along Nakatsu River 中津川 that runs in the middle of the community are covered by coniferous forests that were the result of nationally funded afforestation policy some 70 years ago. Between these relatively new afforested areas, Yadoriki has lots of forest of oaks, such as sawtooth oak and jolcham oak planted for charcoal making. It was a profitable industry before petro domination after the World War II. In Yadoriki even after fossil fuel became the main energy source, sawtooth oaks were planted. It’s because it was believed its fallen leaves could be a nice compost for tobacco farming that was thriving at least till the end of the 1970s. Now we’re in the 21st century, and the usage of forest by the community is adapting to the new post-COVID + SDGs era (; I mean, tourism and organic farming). Even though, the yesteryears’ relationship between the community and their neighborhood forest remains a lot in mountains. In addition to coniferous afforested areas and oaks over the slopes, one such remnant of old human usage of the environment can be seen in a popular hiking course. Let’s go there this week and the next. It’s a hiking to Mt. Jitango ジタンゴ山 (ASL 758m).

Nakatsu River and Yadoriki Community

In winter, it becomes obvious where coniferous forests are in Yadoriki.
 Could you see a peak on the right of the photo next to a power line?
 It’s Mt. Jitango.
 The mountain in front looks bigger but is lower Mt. Miyachi (ASL 630m).
More to these next week.

Jitango ジタンゴ is a strange name even for Japanese. Sometimes it is written in Chinese character such as 震旦郷山 whose meaning could be “the village of early morning earthquake.” … It’s an ominous name. There is a legend the name was because of a wizard called Shidagon シダゴン who lived in the mountain some 1500 years ago and taught the Buddhism to the villagers. Hmmmmmmm … that person might be possible to control earthquakes of the area due to the tectonic crash of Philippines and Eurasian Plates beneath Yadoriki Community … Anyway! Now the slope of Mt. Jitango is first covered by tea plantation, then afforested conifers, next the oaks, and the top of the mountain with a garden like spread of Enkianthus perulatus, a cute Japanese native shrub. Actually the peak of Mt. Jitango was afforested by Kanagawa Forest Instructors some 20 years ago in order to make the place appealing to hikers. These days the space is famous for its spectacular 360° view of Mt. Fuji, the main ridges of Tanzawa mountains and Sagami Bay (weather permitting, of course). The best season to go there is when Enkianthus perulatus is in white full bloom on a fine day of April to early May, or with strikingly clear red autumn leaves in late November to early December. Here comes the question; before our seniors of Forest Instructors planted the cuties, what was there? The answer: a field of sedge grass called Kayaba 萱場. Yes, in terms of climate and soil composition, the place could be good for the grasses, but it would not have been stabilized as a climax condition … It is only ASL 758m point and the space is surrounded by deciduous trees. If the place had been left to its own devices, it should have been a forest of oaks or the like.

At the top of Mt. JItango,
there is a small shrine and a monument explaining the legend.

The field of sedges there was maintained as such by the villagers of Yadoriki for centuries in order to harvest sedges. The grass were used for roofing, raincoats, and mulching in agriculture. It was an important resource for daily lives of yesteryears. Ages ago, Japanese villagers cleared forests that would become nice sedge field and maintained the place as such by cooperative works of the community. Normally they cut the grass once a year and the harvest were used for a family of the village to reform their roofs. The usage of sedge grass for thatching was in turn from family to family who cooperated in the maintenance of the field. The land allocated for sedged grass was common land of the villagers who joined this scheme. It had a special moniker, Iriai 入会, in old Japanese language. For the peak of Mt. Jitango, reaching there from the foot of the community is in two hours for leisurely hikers. For busy villagers of 100 years ago, it could have been less than 1 hour walk that would be nice to plan community work of field maintenance … Now the old utility field is a pretty garden of shrubs with a wonderful view. Maybe, in addition to yearly hard work for housing maintenance, villagers of Yadoriki looked forward to going there to enjoy the vista after clearing the field … Next week, I explain you the itinerary. Please stay tuned! Oh, one last word for advertisement. Kanagawa Forest Instructors Association is planning a guided hiking trip coming December for Mt. Jitango. Please check here and send an email if you’re interested in. 😉

Now, the roofs of houses in Yadoriki are
made of modern materials …

If you find environmental issues in Kanagawa Prefecture, please make a contact with Kanagawa Natural Environment Conservation Center 神奈川県自然環境保全センター

657 Nanasawa, Atsugi City, 243-0121
〒243－0121　厚木市七沢657
Phone: 046-248-0323

You can send an enquiry to them by clicking the bottom line of their homepage at http://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/div/1644/