Mt. Nokogiri | A High-rising Spiritual Journey

Just across the bay from Tokyo, you’ll find a mountain ridge with a peculiar shape. It looks to have jagged “teeth” that travel at an angle along the top, appearing as a saw from afar. Nokogiri is the Japanese word for saw, and the mountain historically beckoned stone carvers and explorers alike with its shape. The burgeoning city of Edo, modern day Tokyo, across the bay called for a huge quantity of stone, for anything from home foundations and fortresses, to retaining walls in canals, and even gravestones. It was soon found that this peculiar mountain harbored some very high-quality rock that was easy to work with, durable, and heat-resistant, and massive mining operations soon began. Chiba’s southern area is classically known as Boshuu, and the prized rock within Mt. Nokogiri (Nokogiriyama) was named Boshuu stone, giving it a branding for the architects and carpenters of Tokyo. These mining operations, cutting into the mountain at an angle, would not only accentuate the already saw-like profile of the mountain, but with the addition of monuments, statues, and walking trails, would eventually transform the entire mountaintop into a destination for travelers.

Mt. Nokogiri is best seen from the surface of Tokyo Bay. “How is that possible?” you may ask. The Tokyo Bay Ferry, going back and forth between Kurihama and Hamakanaya ports will not only take you directly to the base of the mountain, but also let you take in its splendid profile from afar. A train ride to JR Hamakanaya Station (Uchibo Line) will also put you at the base of Mt. Nokogiri. Whether you arrive by ferry or train, you’ll then have a couple options to the top: a hiking trail, if you’re looking to save the view from the peak for later; or the ropeway, lifting you up the mountain’s sheer, forested face and treating you to a panoramic view of Tokyo Bay and Chiba’s rugged coastline.

The train station and ferry terminal are both located in the port town of Kanaya, which is found at the base of Mt. Nokogiri. If you’d like to explore more of the area, support local establishments, or even stay the night, please check the link below for our Kanaya recommendations.