Mount Odaigahara, Mount Omine and Osugidani Biosphere Reserve, Japan

This Mount Odaigahara, Mount Omine, and Osugidani Biosphere Reserve extends across the eastern part of the Kii Peninsula. The area includes several mountain ridges and the peaks of Mount Odaigahara 1,695 metres above sea level and Mount Omine 1,719 metres. The Biosphere Reserve exhibits sub-tropical and temperate rainforests with evergreen, and coniferous forests, temperate deciduous broadleaf forest, sub alpine coniferous forest and conifer plantations.

Ecological Characteristics

The area includes several mountain ridges and the peaks of Mount Odaigahara 1,695 metres above sea level and Mount Omine 1,719 metres. Many of the valleys are deep, with waterfalls up to 200 metres caused by geological uplifty and rejuvenation of the rivers. There is a clear vertical zonation of vegetation from the warm-temperate zone to the sub-alpine zone. The Biosphere Reserve exhibits sub-tropical and temperate rainforests with evergreen, and coniferous forests, temperate deciduous broadleaf forest, sub alpine coniferous forest and conifer plantations.

Large mammals such as Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus), Japanese serrow (Capricornis crispus) and sika deer (Cervus nippon) have been recorded, as well as 102 bird species including red-flanked bluetail (Tarsiger cyanurus) and Arctic warbler (Phylloscopus borealis).

The Mount Omine range, which straddles the core area and the buffer zone, has been designated as a World Cultural Heritage “Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range” by UNESCO.

 

 

Socio-Economic Characteristics

Main economic activities include tourism and agriculture The area’s users for tourism purposes include worshipers and mountain climbers. Local residents generate income from the tourism industry.

Since the introduction of Buddhism in the 6th century, the Kii Mountain Range has been the site of mountain ascetic practices, including the rites of Shingon Esoteric Buddhism. Shugendo, which was established around the mid-10th century to the 11th century, has considered this mountainous region—particularly the Mount Omine range—the central location of ascetic practices.

 

 

 

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Last updated: May 2020