Mount Koma, Mountain in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
Mount Koma is a 168-meter mountain on the border of Hiratsuka and Oiso in Kanagawa Prefecture. It is covered with broadleaf forest and forms part of the Tanzawa Quasi-National Park, with a network of trails and an observation deck near the summit.
Until the Edo period, a temple called Kōrai-ji stood on the mountain, and the site was associated with a deity brought from the Korean kingdom of Goguryeo. The temple was destroyed in the Meiji era, but the shrine that remained was renamed Kōrai Shrine and continues to be a landmark.
The mountain's name comes from Goguryeo, an ancient kingdom on the Korean peninsula, and is linked to settlers who arrived in the area centuries ago. Near the top, the small shrine of Kōrai Shrine still draws walkers who pause to pay their respects before continuing along the ridge.
The climb from the trailhead behind Kōrai Shrine to the summit takes about 30 minutes on foot, and the path is well marked with benches along the way. The return trip from Oiso Station to the peak and back takes around two hours and ten minutes, so allow enough time and carry water.
The mountain appears in Utagawa Hiroshige's famous print series The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō, depicted as a backdrop to Hiratsuka. The area is also home to a legend of Tora, a woman from the Soga Monogatari tales, who is said to have lived near the temple in her later years.
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