is a former town

Towns of Japan

A town is a local administrative unit in Japan. It is a local public body along with prefecture , city , and village...

 located in Minamishitara District

Minamishitara District, Aichi

is a former rural district located in eastern Aichi Prefecture, Japan.As of 2004 , the district had an estimated population of 16,703 and a population density of 43.84 persons per km². Its total area was 381.06 km².-History:...

, Aichi Prefecture

Aichi Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region. The region of Aichi is also known as the Tōkai region. The capital is Nagoya. It is the focus of the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area.- History :...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. As of May 1, 2004, the village had an estimated population

Population

A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...

 of 13,565 and a density

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 of 51.45 persons per km². Its total area was 263.66 km².

Geography

Hōrai was located in east-central of Aichi Prefecture. Some 90 percent of the village area was covered in mountains and forest, and most was within the borders of the Aichi Kōgen Quasi-National Park

Aichi Kōgen Quasi-National Park

is a quasi-national park in the Tōkai region of Honshū in Japan. It is rated a protected landscape according to the IUCN. As with neighboring Hida-Kisogawa Quasi-National Park and Tenryū-Okumikawa Quasi-National Park the park includes mountainous landscapes with gorges and dense forests...

History

Hōraiji village was created in the early Meiji period

Meiji period

The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...

 cadastral reform on 1878, but has existed since at least the Muromachi period

Muromachi period

The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate, which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Takauji, two years after the brief Kemmu restoration of imperial...

 as a monzen machi to the mountain cult

Shugendo

is a highly syncretic Buddhic religion or sect and mystical-spiritual tradition which originated in pre-Feudal Japan, in which enlightenment is equated with attaining oneness with the . This perception of experiential "awakening" is obtained through the understanding of the relationship between...

 temple of Hōrai-ji. On April 1, 1956, Hōraiji and Nagashino villages merged with Nanago village and Ono Town from Yana District to form the town of Hōrai. They were joined by Ebi Town from Minamishitara District and Yamayoshida Village from Yana District on September 30 of the same year. On October 1, 2005, Hōrai and the village of Tsukude

Tsukude, Aichi

is a former village located in Minamishitara District, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. As of May 1, 2004, the village had an estimated population of 3,263 and a density of 27.8 persons per km². Its total area was 117.40 km².-Geography:...

 merged

Merger and dissolution of municipalities of Japan

Municipal mergers and dissolutions carried out in Japan can take place within one municipality or between multiple municipalities and are required to be based upon consensus.- Merger policy:...

 into the city of Shinshiro

Shinshiro, Aichi

is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. As of February 2011, the city had an estimated population of 49,731 and the population density of 99.7 persons per km². The total area was 499.00 km².-Geography:...

 and ceased to exist as an independent administrative division.

Recreation

Mount Horai, Aichi is a climbing area located just north of Shinshiro.
It is an area with both bouldering

Bouldering

Bouldering is a style of rock climbing undertaken without a rope and normally limited to very short climbs over a crash pad so that a fall will not result in serious injury. It is typically practiced on large natural boulders or artificial boulders in gyms and outdoor urban areas...

 and hard sport climbing

Sport climbing

Sport climbing is a form of rock climbing that relies on permanent anchors fixed to the rock, and possibly bolts, for protection,...

, up to 5.14d, on steep volcanic rock.

Byaku-dou (V15) and Epitaph (V15) are well known boulder

Bouldering

Bouldering is a style of rock climbing undertaken without a rope and normally limited to very short climbs over a crash pad so that a fall will not result in serious injury. It is typically practiced on large natural boulders or artificial boulders in gyms and outdoor urban areas...

 problems opened by Dai Koyamada

Dai Koyamada

Dai Koyamada is a Japanese rock climber. Not only is he one of the premier boulderers of his generation, he has also put up or repeated hard sport climbs.*He was born on 23 August 1976 in Kagoshima and has been climbing since 1993....

.

• Climbers are not allowed to leave quick-draws hanging from the routes overnight. According to the priests in charge of the many shrines on Mount Horai, this would greatly upset the numerous spirits that visits the forest.