Takedayama

Elevation: 410.5m The mountain on which Kanayama Castle, the headquarters of the Takeda clan, who were the guardians of Aki, was built, is named Takedayama after the Takeda clan. Takedayama and its surrounding area prospered as the political and economic center of Aki Province throughout the Middle Ages, until the Sengoku period, when the Mori clan moved their headquarters to Hiroshima and built a castle town there. Even today, the mountain is dotted with numerous historic sites, such as castle ruins, that recall the past, and it can be climbed in about 80 minutes by heading northwest from Shimo Gion Station on the JR Kabe Line via Takedayama Ikoi no Mori. From the summit, at an elevation of 410.5 meters, you can see the town of Gion at the foot of the mountain, the Ota River flowing lazily south, and the cityscape lined with skyscrapers. Beyond, you can see picturesque islands floating in the air and the glittering Seto Inland Sea.