Tsurugi Download

[Salvator Grimard]

Fromthe 10th century, the development of the curved tachi began, from which the katana emerged. For a long time, tsurugi were made as weapons or for religious services, but before the 10th century, they completely disappeared as weapons and came to be made only as offerings to Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. One of the most famous tsurugi is the one made in the Heian period (7941185) owned by Kongō-ji and stored by Kyoto National Museum. It is made to imitate the sword Fudo Myōō holds in his right hand, and the hilt is in the shape of a vajra, a Buddhist altar tool.[7]

Nowadays it is mainly associated with very remote historical times, as well as legends and mythology. There are some similarities with some variants of Chinese jian (called chugokuken (中国剣) in Japanese).

The easiest way to get to Nishi-jima is obviously the chairlift. The pleasant ride helps reduce the time and effort to/from the top, or its just nice to take in the great view from Nishi-jima if you don't have the time or energy to hike to the summit.

Base Trail A is the shorter and steeper of the two base trails, its almost constant uphill and you are sure to break a sweat. When going down, if you jog its almost as fast as the chairlift (but don't break your ankle!)

This is the fastest & shortest way to the top of Tsurugi from the Nishi-jima Lift Station. Following the north ridge, its almost constant uphill, and sometimes steep, but there are lots of nice views along the way.

The majority of the "Promenade Trail" is rather level as it goes from Nishi-jima around the west side of Mt Tsurugi. Then the final portion goes steeply up the southwest side to the summit. Great views abound.

Also consider doing this trail in reverse after climbing up to the top via the "Ridge Trail" or the "Tsurugi Trail", allowing for a great loop back to Nishi-jima.

If looking for an undeveloped peak, a splendid hike, and a bit of mountain solitude, head over to Mt Jirogyu. The views are amazing and worth the effort. Add it to the "Promenade Trail" on the return route after Tsurugi.

Hiking across the ridge to the tranquil Ichi-no-mori is a beautiful hike. Not all that difficult, and full of views for much of the way. A nice side trip from Tsurugi, or opt to stay at the lovely staffed hut near the top of Ichi-no-mori.

Looking for a challenge? Not for beginners, this hike links Mt Tsurugi with the Double Vine Bridges via the Maruishi section of the South Ridge Trail. With amazing views through pretty meadows and virgin forest, it could be nice if split into 2 days by staying at the Tsurugi Hut or at the (kinda crummy) Maruishi Hut. **Its much harder to do in reverse with starting from the Vine Bridges.

To reach the top of the mountain, go up the steps between the shrine and Hutte, first going past a large set of public toilets. The top of the mountain is very broad and treeless. It can be windy and chilly, even in the summer. Follow the wooden walking paths a few more minutes out to the far end and up to highest point (1955m). A small pile of stone marks the summit and from here is a great view to the south-west towards Mt Jirogyu.

For the return hike from here back to Nishi-jima, consider taking the 'Promenade Trail', which goes down right from the summit towards Jirogyu, allowing for a very nice loop back full of different views.

Or for a less demanding extra hike also full of great views, choose instead for the ridge hike out to Mt Ichi-no-mori"; var rtTsuBase =" For Tsurugi Trailhead

To reach Tsurugi Trailhead from the main parking area and Tsurugisan Bus Stop in Minokoshi, go down the road 30 or 40 meters to the set of steps leading up to Tsurugi Shrine over near Minshuku Matsuura Guest House and Restaurant. At the top of the steps at the shrine, turn right to get to Tsurugi Trailhead (1420m), from where you enter the forest.

For the first 10-15 minutes the trail climbs steadily but not so steep, until you reach a small metal tunnel which goes under the chairlift. Just after the tunnel there is the Base Trail Junction (1495m), with going up to the left from here for what we call "Base Route A", and going straight to the right for "Base Route B". Both routes lead to Nishi-jima Lift Station, with Route A being steeper and shorter, and Route B being less steep and a bit longer.

Chairlift

The Tsurugi Chairlift can be found at the far end of the main parking area in Minokoshi, about a 2 or 3 minute walk from the Tsurugisan Bus Stop. There are toilets and a small restaurant serving drinks and other snacks at the Minokoshi lift station.

The ride takes 15 minutes and goes to Nishi-jima Lift Station (1750m). At Nishi-jima, there are toilets and water (you may want to purify it). There are also trail maps on sign-boards here. Just below the station are the grassy plots of the Nishi-jima Campground.

The Ridge Trail to the summit starts right from where you get off the chairlift. For the Tsurugi Trail or Promenade Trail you need to go around to the front of the lift station building and go out from there.

For the Tsurugi Trail, go up from the Otsurugi Shrine, first going past some beautiful standing boulders just above the shrine. The trail continues in and out of the forest for the next 20 minutes, sometimes a little bit steep but not too much. Eventually this trail connects with the "Ridge Trail" just before a wooden tori gate (1920m) at the base of some steps which lead up to the small Hozoseki Shrine and the Tsurugisan Chojo Hutte & Restaurant. (1930m).

As the name suggests, the trail follows the north ridge up, sometimes a bit steep but not painfully so (there are steps usually). The forest is not thick, so there are great views off to either side in many places. After about 15 minutes you reach a trail junction at Katanakake-no-Matsu (1805m) which also has some resting benches and nice views.

The Ridge Trail continues up from Katanakake-no-Matsu along the ridge (sometimes a bit steeply) for another 15-20 minutes, eventually connecting with the "Tsurugi Trail" just before a wooden tori gate (1920m) at the base of some steps which lead up to the small Hozoseki Shrine and the Tsurugisan Chojo Hutte & Restaurant (1930m).

Base Trail A

From the trail junction go up to the left. The trail is a bit steep at times, especially for the first section which goes near the chairlift. Eventually it does level off a little as it follows the path through the forest, but it is continually uphill.

Base Trail B

From the trail junction, go straight to the right. The trail gradually goes up as it curves around the side of the mountain through the forest. It is rather pretty through here, and after about 20 minutes you will reach a small stream which is the Iya River Source (1550m) from which the water is pure enough to drink directly from the small pipe here.

The trail continues slowly upwards as it rounds another section of mountain for the next 10 minutes, with some points then becoming a little steep. A few views eventually peek out between the trees here and there of Mt Tsurugi.

The trail continues for another 20 minutes or so through the hillside forest, and after a couple short, slightly steep sections the trail connects with "Base Trail A". (just prior to the junction, on the left is a small shrine and narrow cave that goes a dozen or so meters into the mountain. Bring a light to explore.)

The trail junction is just below the grassy camping spots of Nishi-jima Campground. From here you start to get you first real views as you go up around the campground and head towards Nishi-jima Lift Station (1750m), where there are toilets and water (you probably want to purify it).

The trail is fairly level and curves gently around the mountainside through some forest (very pretty in the autumn). In about a half hour you reach a junction and the Promenade Trail goes to the right (going up to the left for about 30 meters is the O-shiki-mizu Spring where you can taste one of Japan's 'Top 100 Waters' and a couple minutes beyond that is the Otsurugi Shrine which is along the 'Tsurugi Trail')

From the viewpoint the trail starts to go directly up the mountain through some forest. It is steep, but not too bad, taking about 20-25 minutes to get to the wooden walking paths of the top. Once up top, go right and walk out another minute or two on the boardwalk to reach the 1955m summit of Mt Tsurugi.

Jirogyu Trail

From the summit of Mt Tsurugi go down the trail to the south-west along the ridge heading to neighboring Mt Jirogyu. The view along here is awesome, and in about 15 minutes you will pass the Jirogyu Trail Junction at 1805m (for the Promenade Trail back to Nishi-jima) and then go out along the pretty sasa grass covered ridge over to Jirogyu Pass (1775m)

Soon after the pass is another trail junction, which if going to the right bypasses the summit peak of Mt Jirogyu and heads out to Mt Maruishi. The final climb up to the top of Mt Jirogyu from Jirogyu Pass. can be pretty steep at times. Its a natural trail, so don't expect the nicely built stairs you found on Mt Tsurugi. There are two summit humps here, with the second and slightly taller of them being the actual Mt Jirogyu Summit (1930m). The top is much smaller than the summit of Tsurugi, but with a wonderful 360 degree panoramic view that is (in our opinion) also nicer than the view from the top of Tsurugi.

To shorten your hike on the way back, consider taking the nearly level 'Promenade Trail' back to Nishi-jima, which splits off at the base of Tsurugi at Jirogyu Trail Junction."; var rtIchi1 = " Ichi-no-mori Trail

The trail to Mt Ichi-no-mori goes out from the top of Mt Tsurugi and can be accessed either by taking the boardwalk pathway that goes eastward from the toilet building, or by walking east from the front of Tsurugi Chojo Hutte.

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