Mount Sobo
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is one of the
100 Famous Japanese Mountains is a book written in 1964 by mountaineer and author Kyūya Fukada.Hyakumeizan, Hiking Japan!
. Japan ...
. The mountain lies on the border of Taketa and Bungo-ōno in Ōita Prefecture and Takachiho, Nishiusuki District in Miyazaki Prefecture. It is within the
Sobo, Katamuki and Okue Biosphere Reserve The Sobo, Katamuki and Okue Biosphere Reserve also known as was created in 2017. It incorporates the 1965 quasi national parks of Sobo Katamuki Prefectural Natural Park (Ōita) (also previously known as the Sobo-Katamuki Quasi-National Park, ...
. Mount Sobo is the highest peak in Miyazaki Prefecture and in Ōita Prefecture only the middle peak of Mount Kujū is higher. The Sobo Mountain range extends into three prefectures: Ōita, Miyazaki and Kumamoto. Because of the volcanic activity which formed the mountain, huge rocks can be found everywhere around the mountain. There is a great variety of mountain climbing routes, ranging from animal trails to well maintained paths. Courses ae available from relaxed hiking for enjoyment to cliff climbing routes aimed at advanced climbers. Steep rock climbing routes can be seen from all trails in the neighbourhood of the summit. The surroundings of Mount Sobo abound in mineral resources which were mined from the Edo period to the mid- Shōwa period.


Formation

It is believed that the foundation of the Sobo mountain range occurred in two periods of volcanic activity. In the first period, around 13 million years ago, two cauldrons, the ''Sobo
caldera A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcano eruption. When large volumes of magma are erupted over a short time, structural support for the rock above the magma chamber is ...
'' and the , were formed in an eruption accompanied by pyroclastic flow. The two cauldrons formed at this time, were buried in the second period of volcanic activity leaving the caldera which can be seen today. About 12.5 million years ago, a cauldron opened up once more. During this time ore was formed. Around 10 million years ago the volcanic activity ceased. Erosion levelled off the mountain until 3 million years ago when the large scale activity of the rising Mount Aso system caused a pyroclastic flow which gave Mount Sobo its present shape.


Environment

Thanks to volcanic activity, granite is ubiquitous. In the valleys at the bottom of the mountain and at medium and high altitude rock-climbing fans are fascinated by the cliffs which can be found everywhere. Miyama Kirishima ('' Rhododendron kiusianum''), Japanese gentian and the Japanese maple grow in great numbers and are visited by mountain climbers in all seasons.


Flora

The mountain is covered by
old-growth forest An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...
. Typical species include
Japanese beech The name Japanese beech can refer to two different species of beech tree, both native to Japan. *''Fagus crenata'', also called Siebold's beech, (ブナ, ''buna'' in Japanese) *''Fagus japonica ''Fagus japonica'', known as the Japanese beech, Ja ...
and '' Tsuga''. Going up from the lowland, the vegetation changes from evergreen (glossy-leaved) forest over
conifer Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...
forest halfway up the mountain, to Suzu-take and beech close to the summit. '' Angelica ubatakensis'' is only found on parts of Shikoku and in the Sobo mountain range is a precious plant. The pseudonym of Mount Sobo, (''uba'' meaning "elderly woman" in Japanese), goes back to the discoverer of the plant, Tomitaro Makino, who called it that.


Fauna

It is thought that the southern range limit of the , the Japanese serow lies in the mountain range. Even though sightings have been rare in recent years, the
Asian black bear The Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), also known as the Asiatic black bear, moon bear and white-chested bear, is a medium-sized bear species native to Asia that is largely adapted to an arboreal lifestyle. It lives in the Himalayas, sout ...
is believed to be living here as well. In addition Japanese dormice and sika deer can be seen.


Mining

At the foot of Mount Sobo lie the remains of the Obira mine. From its opening in 1617 until its closing in 1954, it had been flourishing as the leading Japanese mine. Apart from Obira, there are the and the on the side of Ōita Prefecture as well as the and on the side of Miyazaki Prefecture. The mines produce scarce minerals like copper, tin, lead, manganese and quartz.


History

On August 30, 1945, a B-29 Superfortress of the United States Air Force on a supply flight crashed in bad weather in the neighbourhood of located south of Mount Sobo. All twelve crew members died in the incident. Part of the fuselage and the Stars and Stripes still lie among the mountains. A ''Prayer for Peace'' monument was erected on August 26, 1995 to commemorate this event.


See also

*
100 Famous Japanese Mountains is a book written in 1964 by mountaineer and author Kyūya Fukada.Hyakumeizan, Hiking Japan!
. Japan ...


References


External links


Topographic map
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sobo, Mount Mountains of Ōita Prefecture Mountains of Miyazaki Prefecture