Mt. Nanakura

Mt. Nanakura has been venerated as a sacred place in the Futatsui area for over 1,300 years. Local tradition describes the mountain as a sleeping dragon, its seven peaks forming the bony plates along the creature's spine. In 1788, following the Great Kyoto Fire, old-growth cedars throughout the Yoneshiro River valley were felled to supply rebuilding lumber. The people of Futatsui resolved to preserve Nanakura as a sacred mountain, and many of its cedars have been protected ever since, some exceeding 300 years of age. Hiking trails run through the length of the cedar forest, though they can be hazardous after heavy rain. A shrine to the seven peaks stands at the trail's end.