Mt. Nokogiri (Nokogiriyama), reaching an elevation of 330 meters, straddles Futtsu City and Kyonan Town in Chiba Prefecture. Rising at the western edge of the Boso Hills, it is one of the celebrated “Boso Sanzan (Three Mountains of Boso)” along with Mt. Kanou and Mt. Kiyosumi, representing the iconic mountains of Chiba. The mountain's name, meaning "Saw Mountain," comes from the sawtooth-like ridges that characterize its profile. Its summit provides a scenic vista that has served as a navigational marker for vessels plying the Uraga Channel.
Mt. Nokogiri is comprised of pyroclastic breccia rock and has been a source of 'Boshu stone' or 'Kanaya stone' since the Edo period, used extensively in construction. The quarrying has left a legacy of great cliffs, offering dramatic landscapes.
On the side facing the town of Hota, one finds Nihonji Temple, believed to have been founded by the monk Gyoki in 725 by the imperial edict of Emperor Shomu. It enshrines the Medicine Buddha and is known as a Zen temple of the Soto sect. The temple grounds, spreading from the mountaintop to the south side, host a collection of 1,500 Rakan statues begun in 1780, and Japan's largest Daibutsu was restored there in 1969.
The hiking trails are accessible from Hamakanaya Station on the JR Uchibo Line, with a ropeway available from the Kanaya side. From the ropeway's mountain station, it’s a brief walk of just over three minutes to the summit observatory. There is also a toll road leading up the mountain from Hota. If you're on foot, take the steep stone stairway at the right just past the ropeway's Sanroku Station. This quiet path offers scenic views and takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Alternatively, from Hamakanaya Station, cross the Kanaya River, pass under the Uchibo Line, follow the signs past the Moon Viewing Platform (Kangetsu-dai), and walk the path that leads through an old stone quarry and past the sheer cliffs. After paying the entrance fee at the Management Office and passing by the Hyaku-shaku Kannon, the path opens onto a broad ridge (about 1 hour and 30 minutes).
*Before heading out on a hike, make sure to stay updated with the latest information on trails and other important details.