, meaning sword is a 1954.7 m (6,413.1 ft) high mountain on the border of Miyoshi

Miyoshi, Tokushima

is a city located in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan.The city was founded on March 1, 2006 as a result of the merger between the towns of Ikeda, Ikawa, Mino and Yamashiro, and the villages of Higashiiyayama and Nishiiyayama, all from Miyoshi District....

, Mima

Mima, Tokushima

is a city located in Tokushima, Japan.It was founded on March 1, 2005, when Mima District was divided into the city of Mima and Mima District. The towns of Mima, Anabuki, Waki, and the village of Koyadaira, became part of the city of Mima, while the towns of Handa, Sadamitsu, and the village of...

 and Naka

Naka, Tokushima

is a town located in Naka District, Tokushima, Japan.It was founded on March 1, 2005 from the merger of the towns of Aioi, Kaminaka and Wajiki, and the villages of Kisawa and Kito, all from Naka District....

 in Tokushima Prefecture

Tokushima Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located on Shikoku island. The capital is the city of Tokushima.- Tokushima Prefecture and Myodo Prefecture :Long ago, Tokushima City belonged to a region known as Myōdō-gun...

, 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...

. This mountain is one of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains.

Outline

Mount Tsurugi is the second highest mountain on the island of Shikoku

Shikoku

is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshū and east of the island of Kyūshū. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima...

, and also the second highest mountain west of Mount Haku

Mount Haku

, or Mount Hakusan, is a potentially active volcano. The stratovolcano is located on the borders of Gifu, Fukui and Ishikawa prefectures in Japan. It is thought to have first been active 300,000 to 400,000 years ago, with the most recent eruption occurring in 1659...

, which is on the border of Ishikawa

Ishikawa Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island. The capital is Kanazawa.- History :Ishikawa was formed from the merger of Kaga Province and the smaller Noto Province.- Geography :Ishikawa is on the Sea of Japan coast...

 and Gifu

Gifu Prefecture

is a prefecture located in the Chūbu region of central Japan. Its capital is the city of Gifu.Located in the center of Japan, it has long played an important part as the crossroads of Japan, connecting the east to the west through such routes as the Nakasendō...

 prefectures in central Japan.

Mount Tsurugi is an important object of worship in this region and one of the centers of Shugendō

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...

, a sect of mixture of Shintoism and Buddhism. On the top of the mountain, there is a small shrine called ‘Tsurugi Jinja’.

The area around Mount Tsurugi is a major part of Tsurugi Quasi-National Park.

The original Ark of the Covenant

Ark of the Covenant

The Ark of the Covenant , also known as the Ark of the Testimony, is a chest described in Book of Exodus as solely containing the Tablets of Stone on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed...

is rumoured to be in the caves under Mount Tsurugi in Shikoku.

Access

• The main trailhead, along with parking lots, shops and restaurants, is located at Minokoshi, at the intersection of national routes 438 and 439. From Minokoshi, climbers may also ride a chairlift to a higher point on the trail.

• Trails link the summit of Mount Tsurugi to neighboring mountains. Tsurugi can be reached from the east via Ichinomori, while an extensive network of trails to the west allows access from mountains such as Jirogyu, Miune, and Tengu-zuka.