Shizukiyama

Shizukiyama stands at the northwestern tip of Hagi City in Yamaguchi Prefecture, jutting out into the Sea of Japan. Around 100 million years ago, a huge underground magma chamber cooled and solidified, emerging at the surface as granite and forming this hill-like mountain with an elevation of 145 meters. In 1604, Terumoto Mori, a feudal lord of the Warring States period, reclaimed land at the foot of the mountain to build Hagi Castle and established a tsumemaru at the summit. Surrounded by stone walls and earthen walls, with turrets placed at key points, the tsumemaru was used in peacetime to watch over both land and sea from its commanding vantage points, and the mountain is also known as a natural fortress.

The mountain is covered with large trees such as chinquapin, Japanese bay tree, and Kurogane holly, with giant trees said to be over 600 years old scattered throughout. Because it is a rare mature warm-temperate evergreen broadleaf forest in Japan, it has been designated a National Natural Monument. The hiking trail is well maintained, and from the entrance to the summit is Approx. 730 meters, making for a 20 to 30-minute hike.

Nearby is Kikugahama Beach, where the coastline stretches in a graceful arc, making this an area where you can efficiently enjoy sightseeing together with a stroll through the castle town.