Mt. Otowa (Shiga Prefecture, Kyoto Prefecture) (音羽山 (滋賀県・京都府))
Mt. Otowa exists in the boundary between Otsu City of Shiga prefecture and Yamashina Ward of Kyoto Prefecture, and is the highest mountain in Yamashina Ward. Its altitude is 593.2 m. A third class triangulation point at the top of the mountain is located within Yamashina Ward.
Summary
It is located in eastern Yamashina Basin and southwest of Lake Biwa, with Mt. Osaka to the north and many mountains in the southern area of Daigo. Due to its being located at a boundary between Omi Province and Yamashiro Province, the area between this mountain and Mt. Osaka was a strategic point for transportation. Hogon-ji Temple (Ushio Kannon) was established at Mt. Ushio, which is a branch peak of Mt. Otowa; Mt. Otowa became a place of interest after the temple became a popular for worship. Many poets, including KI no Tsurayuki and ARIWARA no Motokata, composed poems with "Otowa-yama" (Mt. Otowa) used as an utamakura (a place name often used in ancient Japans poems). Of the three 'Otowa-no-taki Falls' said to have been in Kyoto, 'Ushio-no-Otowa' has been identified as a fall of Yamashina-Otowa-gawa River, which flows along the west foot of Mt. Otowa.
According to 'Yoshu-shoshi' (a book describing various aspects of Yamashiro Province), this mountain was also called Mt. Oyama (小山). The point of triangulation was listed as 'Oyama' in 'Ten-no-ki' (Records of points of triangulation).
Today, since the Tokai-shizen-hodo (Tokai walking path full of nature) runs through the mountain and the view from the mountain top is beautiful, many hikers visit this mountain all year round. From the Otsu City side, the mountain can be climbed from Ishiyama-dera Temple via the Tokai-shizen-hodo, from the Yamashina Basin side, via Ushio kannon, and from the Mt. Osaka side, via the Tokai-shizen-hodo.
Railroads, roads, etc through the mountain
A tunnel for Tokaido Shinkansen (a Japanese bullet train line) passes directly under the mountain top and the Keihan Keishin Line runs between this mountain and Mt. Osaka. The Tokai-shizen-hodo, which passes through this mountain, connects the Ishiyama-dera Temple side in the east to the mountain top and to the Mt. Osaka side in the north.