Mount Hachimen

Mount Hachimen
Mount Hachimen
八面山
Highest point
Elevation	659.4 m (2,163 ft)
Coordinates	33°29′45.3″N 131°13′36.2″E / 33.495917°N 131.226722°E
Geography
Location	Sankō, Nakatsu, Ōita Prefecture, Japan

Mount Hachimen (八面山, Hachimen-zan) is a mesa in Nakatsu, Ōita Prefecture, Japan. Its elevation is 659.4 meter (2,163 feet). It is the most prominent mountain in Nakatsu and is seen as a symbol of the city.^[1]

As it is said that the mountain looks the same from every direction, it was given the name Hachimen-zan (lit. "eight-faced mountain"). It is also sometimes called Yayama (箭山, lit. "arrow mountain") due to the arrow bamboo that once grew on the mountain.^[1]

Hachimenzan Peace Park

On May 7, 1945, a USAAF B-29 bomber aircraft, which was taking part in a raid on an Imperial Japanese airbase in Usa, Ōita was rammed by a Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryu.^[2] The B-29 crashed into Mount Hachimen, killing eight of the eleven-person crew. The Japanese Toryu also crashed, killing the pilot.^[2] The three surviving airmen of the B-29, who had parachuted out, were captured and sent to the Western District Army headquarters in Fukuoka. They are believed to have been executed on June 20, 1945.^[2]

On May 7, 1970, the 25th anniversary of the crash, a memorial for the lost airmen was erected at the crash site and a ceremony was held. The site is now Hachimenzan Peace Park (八面山平和公園, Hachimen-zan Heiwa Kōen).^[2] A memorial event is held at the park annually on May 3. In 1993, an eternal flame was lit at the park using a flame from Hoshino Village, Fukuoka's "Flame of Peace."^[3] There is also a preserved JASDF F-86 Sabre fighter at the park.^[3]

Jingo-ji

Mount Hachimen has been considered sacred in mountain Buddhism since ancient times.^[4] Next to the Peace Park on Mount Hachimen is a Buddhist temple called Jingo-ji (神護寺). At the temple, a 7.8m long, 1.4m high statue carved into stone, which was completed in 1972, depicts a reclining Buddha.^[4]