城山（じょうやま）は、陵厳寺にある山です。標高は369m。金山、孔大寺山、湯川山と並ぶ宗像四塚（よつづか）の一つで、宗像地方で1、2を争う知名度を誇ります。古くは赤馬山、蔦ヶ嶽などと呼ばれていましたが、かつては山頂に宗像大宮司の城があり、今日でも「赤馬山古城跡」となって残っていますがそれが「城山」と呼ばれるようになったゆえんだとか。山頂まで木の階段と急な坂道が続きますが山頂から見える玄界灘側の景色はとても素晴らしいものがあります。それに加えて、良く整備されている山道、随所に掲げてある指導標などといった登山者への細かい配慮がなされていることから、山頂にある記帳簿には毎月3000以上もの書き込みがあるほどの人気の山です。宗像市民だけでなく近隣の市町村から訪れる登山者からも多く、大変親しまれています。

Hiking on Mt. Jo

Mt. Jo (369 m) is one of four mountains known collectively as Yotsuka-renzan (“four mountains”). The path up the mountain from the Akama trailhead is well maintained and has sturdy log steps. The trail provides views across the whole region, making it popular with climbers.

The remnants of stone walls near the summit mark the site of Tsutagatake Castle. It is believed to have been built by the Munakata family in the thirteenth century and was heavily fortified in 1560 to protect it from enemy attacks. The Munakata family ruled the region until the sixteenth century and served as the head priests of Munakata Taisha, the collective name for three shrines venerating the Three Female Deities of Munakata.

Visitors may see some rare plants and fungi on the way up the mountain. In summer, the yellow kinugasatake mushroom (Phallus luteus), distinguished by a lacy “skirt” that descends from the cap, grows in the dense forest near the base of the mountain. Further up the mountain are white varieties of this mushroom. Tsuchiakebi (Cyrtosia septentrionalis), an unusual type of orchid, grows in the forest. The red, pod-shaped fruit of the plant indicate it belongs to a variety known as mycoheterotrophic orchids, which feed on fungi rather than making nutrients through photosynthesis.

Munakata is situated in a basin, and the Yotsuka-renzan mountains are the most prominent natural landmark. Hikers can climb the mountains without special equipment, and it is possible to climb all four in one day.

（This English-language text was created by the Japan Tourism Agency.）