Mount Atago (Minamibōsō, Chiba)
History
Mount Atago was located in the historical Awa Province, which occupied the southern tip of the Bōsō Peninsula. Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147–1199), founder and first shōgun of the Kamakura shogunate, visited Awa Province shortly before his return to Kyōto and the establishment of the shogunate. He visited Mount Atago, dedicated a Jizō Bosatsu statue at the summit of the mountain, and vowed to return to the area.
JASDF Mineokayama Sub-Base
Mount Atago is now home to the JASDF Mineokayama Sub-Base, an air defence radar installation of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF). The summit was confiscated by the United States Air Force in 1955, then later transferred to the JASDF. Construction on the radar facility began in 1978 and is considered to be strategically important to the defense of Japan. The mountain is also home to a triangulation station and the Atago Shrine.
Hiking
Mount Atago is open to the public only by permission of the JASDF. Hiking requires permission, at least a week in advance, from the JASDF Mineokayama Sub-Base. Permission is not always granted. Photography of the radar facility is not permitted. Access to the triangulation station is not allowed. The summit of Mount Atago is the highest in Japan not open to the public.
References
- ^ "Atago-yama". Nihon Daihyakka Zensho (Nipponika) (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2012-05-19.
- ^ "峯岡山分屯基地 | [Jasdf] 航空自衛隊".
- ^ 峯岡山分屯基地に行ったから (in Japanese)