Mount Hiyori (日和山(ひよりやま)Hiyoriyama), located in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, is Japan's lowest mountain. From 1991 to 1996,[1] and again on April 9, 2014, after the Tohoku tsunami, the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan recognized it as "the lowest mountain in Japan".[2]

Mount Hiyori
Hiyoriyama after the disaster of 2011 (May 30, 2014)
Highest point
Elevation3 m (9.8 ft)
Coordinates38°15′20″N 141°00′42″E / 38.2556°N 141.0118°E / 38.2556; 141.0118
Naming
Native name日和山
Geology
Mountain typeMan-made

Overview edit

 
Mount Hiyori in 2004

The mountain is located on the northeastern edge of Sendai City, facing the Pacific Ocean and Sendai, north of the mouth of the Nanakita River, and west of Gamo Mudflat.

It used to be 6.05 m above sea level, with a massif of about 40 m from north to south and about 20 m from east to west. There was one trail on the southwestern part of the massif, with 14 steps. During the Showa period, Kawaguchi Shrine (founded in 1374 (Southern Court: 3rd year of Bunchu; Northern Court: 7th year of Ōan)) was relocated at the northern foot of Mt. Hiyori.

At one time, it was recognized as the lowest mountain in Japan as a mountain on the topographic map of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, but that position was ceded when Mount Tenpō (Osaka City) was re-listed. For this reason, the word "Gan-so" (元祖, meaning "original") was added to the information signboard at the summit that read "the lowest mountain in Japan".

In 2011 (Heisei 23), it was reported that the ground subsided due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and that it was destroyed along with the Gamo Tidal Flat after being hit directly by the tsunami.[3][4] At the same time, Kawaguchi Shrine was washed away by the tsunami. However, it was reported on April 9, 2014, that it was recognized as a mountain with an altitude of 3 metres (9.8 ft) in a survey by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan.[2] As a result, it fell below Mount Tenpō for the first time in 18 years and again became the lowest mountain in Japan.[2]

References edit

  1. ^ 日本一低い山再び? 津波で地形一変 仙台・日和山 2014年05月20日 河北新報
  2. ^ a b c "標高3メートル、日本一低い山に…天保山下回る". 読売新聞. Archived from the original on 2014-04-13. Retrieved 2014-04-09.
  3. ^ 野鳥の楽園、見る影なく 一帯に砂、復元不能か 蒲生干潟(河北新報 2011年4月1日)
  4. ^ 国内で2番目に低い山、3・11の津波で消える(読売新聞 2011年9月14日)