A Hill with a Long History
The Development of the Area
The area around Mount Shimakuma became increasingly important as a transportation route during the 8th century, when the Saigoku Kaido was developed.
As transportation networks expanded, estates belonging to aristocrats and Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines became established throughout the surrounding region. The landscape therefore became closely connected with the political, religious, and economic life of ancient Japan.
Mount Shimakuma in the Man’yoshu
Mount Shimakuma is also associated with the Man’yoshu, Japan’s oldest surviving anthology of poetry. It appears in Volume 12, Poem 3193, preserving a glimpse of how the mountain and its surroundings were perceived more than a thousand years ago.
The poem reads:
“Tamaka-tsuma, Mount Shimakuma at evening—are you alone crossing the mountain path?”
The poem evokes the quiet atmosphere of the mountain at dusk and conveys the sense of longing, solitude, and travel that characterized much of ancient Japanese poetry.
A monument commemorating the poem stands near the summit within the grounds of Toyonaka Fudōson, providing a tangible link between the modern landscape and the world described in the Man’yoshu.
Mount Shimakuma in the Edo Period
Recorded in the Settsu Meisho Zue
Mount Shimakuma was also described in the Settsu Meisho Zue, an illustrated geographical guide to famous places in the former Settsu Province compiled during the Edo period.
The inclusion of Mount Shimakuma in this important guide demonstrates that the area had long been recognized as a notable place. Its reputation as a local scenic and historic landmark continued across generations.
From Natural Landscape to Preserved Satoyama
Postwar Development
For a period after World War II, the area around Mount Shimakuma retained a rich natural environment. As Toyonaka and the wider Senri area developed, however, residential construction gradually expanded into the surrounding hills.
Much of the original landscape disappeared, leaving only fragments of the natural environment that had once characterized the area.
A Community Campaign to Protect the Mountain
In 1996, Osaka Prefecture proposed developing part of Mount Shimakuma as a northern disaster-prevention base. The proposal led to opposition from local residents and nature-conservation groups concerned about the loss of the remaining natural landscape.
A local organization known as the Association for Preserving Toyonaka’s Mount Shimakuma Forest as Senri Green Space played a central role in the campaign. The group collected signatures in support of preserving the area, ultimately receiving 37,479 supporters.
As a result of these efforts, the land was eventually transferred from Osaka Prefecture to Toyonaka City and has been preserved as a satoyama, the traditional Japanese landscape where woodland and human settlement coexist.
Today, Mount Shimakuma represents not only a historic landscape but also an example of how local communities have worked to preserve natural spaces within an increasingly urban environment.
Archaeological Significance
The Shimakuma Kiln Site
The area around Mount Shimakuma contains traces of ancient ceramic production. Archaeological remains known as an ash deposit, including fragments of Sue ware pottery and pieces of kiln walls, have been found across parts of the site.
These discoveries indicate that the Shimakuma Kiln Site once existed in the area. Kilns are believed to have been built along the slopes, particularly on the eastern and northern sides of the hill.
Some of these archaeological remains have been preserved as part of the surrounding green space, allowing Mount Shimakuma to retain an important connection with the region’s ancient industrial history as well as its natural environment.
Access to Mount Shimakuma
Convenient Transport from Central Osaka
Mount Shimakuma can be reached relatively easily from several transportation hubs in northern Osaka.
From Shōji Station on the Osaka Monorail: approximately a 10-minute walk.
From Senri-Chūō Station on the Kita-Osaka Kyuko Line: approximately a 15-minute walk.
By Hankyu Bus: take a bus from Senri-Chūō Station and get off at the Shimakuma-yama bus stop, located immediately near the site.
By car: the area is just north of the Shimakuma-yama-kita and Shimakuma-yama-minami intersections along Osaka Prefectural Route 2, Osaka Chuo Loop Line.
A Small Mountain with a Remarkable Story
Mount Shimakuma may appear modest compared with the dramatic mountains found elsewhere in Japan, but its significance lies in the layers of history preserved within this urban landscape.
Its name appears in the Man’yoshu, its history was recorded in the Settsu Meisho Zue, and archaeological evidence points to ancient ceramic production on its slopes. At the same time, the surviving satoyama landscape reflects the efforts of local residents to protect a fragment of nature from large-scale development.
For travelers exploring Toyonaka, Mount Shimakuma offers a quieter way to encounter Japanese history. A visit here provides an opportunity to connect an ancient poem with a real landscape while also discovering the continuing relationship between people, nature, and cultural heritage in modern Osaka.