Ushibuseyama (Mt. Ushibuse) Natural Park

Ushibushiyama Nature Park has hiking trails in the mountain. It is famous for cherry blossoms.

Ushibushiyama Nature Park has a stone statue of a cow. This stone statue was created in 1986, named after Mt. Ushibushi, and is about 2.5 meters long. There is also a bell tower built in 1987 as a symbol of peace, and its bell weighs about 0.8 tons. The first floor of the bell tower is used as a rest area.

Ushibushiyama (Mt. Ushibushiyama)

Shaped like a prone cow, the mountain is surrounded by lush greenery. The view from the top of the mountain is particularly spectacular. It is 491 meters above sea level and is also called “Ushibuseyama.

This mountain is known for “Tago Reine,” which was written in the Manyoshu (a famous Japanese poetry anthology). The name has been used since the Edo period (1603-1868) because of its two peaks on the east and west sides and its resemblance to a reclining cow. It has long been a symbol of Yoshii.

From the observatory on the mountain, visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of the Kanto Plain along with the ruins of Ichigozan Castle, a monument to the Blue Mountains, a stone statue of Gagyu, and a bell tower built to pray for peace.

The lush green mountain area is maintained as a “forest where birds sing” and can be enjoyed as a place to interact with wild birds. The forest road is planted with senbonzakura (cherry blossoms) and hydrangeas, and is worth a visit when they are in bloom.

The wild birds that can be seen on Mt. Ushibushi are, in order, white-tailed godwit, titmouse, pygmy woodpecker, and blue-green warbler. Mountain flowers include azaleas, thistles, and gentians, in that order.

Ushibushiyama, also known as Mount Ichigo or Mount Kompira, is 491 meters above sea level and is located in the southwestern part of Gunma Prefecture. It extends approximately 3 kilometers south of Yoshii-machi, Takasaki City. The mountain was formed when the Kabura River eroded the Idosawa Formation, which consists of Tertiary sandstone, conglomerate, and mudstone, leaving behind the Ushibushi Sandstone Formation. The mountain was named “Ushibushi” because its distinctive shape looks like a cow lying down in the field. At the top of the mountain are the ruins of Ichigosan Castle and Kotohira Shrine, which enshrines Kompira Daigongen, and the mountain is also called Ichigosan or Kompirayama. The mountain is also known as “Tago Ridge” in the Manyoshu poetry anthology.

From the summit of Mt. Ushibushi, one can enjoy a magnificent view of the three mountains of Jomo, the Joetsu border mountains, and as far as Mt. Composer Ryoichi Hattori visited the area when he composed the school song for the Irino Elementary School in Yoshii Town, and praised it as the perfect image of the “Blue Mountains. Surrounded by rich nature, the area is home to a variety of wild birds, including white-eyes, titmice, pygmy woodpeckers, and blue-faced bunting. For this reason, it has been selected as one of Gunma’s 100 most famous mountains.

Ushibushiyama has been under construction since 1983 to create a park. During this period, the town of Yoshii in Tano County at that time planned to convert Mt. Ushibushi into a park not only as a place for local people to relax, but also as a place used for outdoor activities and cultural activities. At the top of the mountain, there is a 1,000-square-meter parking lot, a rest area, an observatory, a stone statue of a cow lying in the field, a monument to “Blue Mountains,” a cave Kannon, a radio tower for NHK and FM Gunma (Maebashi FM transmitter station), and the Gunma Exhibition Hall was established at the eighth station on the mountain. There are five hiking trails from the foot of the mountain to the top, and the path from Kami-Hino, Fujioka City, to Ushibushi Mountain via Ushibushi Mountain to Umaniwa, Yoshii Town is certified as a part of the Kanto Fureai Road.

From mid-June to early July, approximately 1,400 hydrangeas, or hydrangea, adorn the mountain. Other flowers such as azaleas, thistles, and gentians can also be observed.

Ushibushi Viewing Platform

The third floor is an observatory with a 360-degree panoramic view of the three Jomo mountains and the Kanto Plain.

Senbonzakura (Thousand Cherry Trees)

A path of 1,000 cherry trees and hydrangea trees that leads to the summit of the mountain, which is crowded with visitors in early April when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. In early April, the cherry trees are in full bloom and many visitors come to view the blossoms. About 1,000 cherry trees, including Someiyoshino, Yama-zakura, and Yae-zakura, are planted along the path. Usually during the season from March to April, the entire mountain is covered with light red spring colors. At night during the blooming season, the area is lit up and visitors can enjoy the fantastic scenery and the night view below.

Hydrangea

From mid-June to mid-July, approximately 1,400 hydrangeas refresh visitors’ minds and eyes.