Mt. Takamaru

Mt. Takamaru (1,438 m) is home to an old-growth beech forest the community actively defended during World War II, when the government ordered the trees felled for fighter plane propellers. Residents refused, arguing the forest's water retention sustained local agriculture. The forest was designated Tokushima Prefecture's first Nature Conservation Area in 1977. Every May 5th, community members carry a portable shrine from Tosho Jinja up through the forest. The trail from the roadside trailhead to the summit takes about an hour, climbing through beech trees up to 30 meters tall alongside a wide variety of highland plants and forest birds.