Mount Kyō, Mountain summit in Nagano Prefecture, Japan

Mount Kyō is a summit at the northern end of the Kiso mountain range in Nagano Prefecture, marking a clear boundary between the range and the surrounding highlands. Several hiking routes lead to the top, passing through forest zones and open alpine terrain.

The Kiso range, of which this peak is a part, was shaped by the same tectonic forces that built the Japanese Alps over a very long period. The valleys at its foot were once traveled by people walking the old Nakasendo road, one of the main routes linking the old capitals of Japan.

The name comes from a legend recorded in the Engi of Hanshō-san Chūsen-ji: in 815 the monk Ennin carved an Eleven-Faced Kannon and buried copied sutras in a mound, giving the mountain its name. It is also called Naki-zura-yama, "weeping-face mountain", because darkness fell so suddenly that children cried on their way home.

The mountain is most accessible between July and October, when the snow has melted and the trails are in good condition. Weather at the summit can shift quickly, so warm layers and rain gear are worth bringing even on a clear morning.

The summit has no view at all: it is covered by tall shirabiso conifers, so the panorama opens only on the ridge between the 7th and 9th stations, where the Yatsugatake, Southern Alps, Ina Valley, Kiso Komagatake and Ontake are visible. Two stone shrines, a Buddha and a stone pagoda stand on top.