Mount Yumura ＆ Fire Beacons

 

The summit of Mount Yumura is topped by a hill fort, built by Takeda Nobutora in 1523. Known as Mount Yumura Fort, it was one of several strongholds guarding the castle town of Kofu during the Warring States period, the remnants of ancient earthworks and foundations of which remain in good condition to this day. At the time, having the Shinshu Highway (the road connecting Kai province –present-day Yamanashi– to Shinano –present-day Nagano–) run from east to west below the fort allowed to keep watch and provide protection over the comings and goings of the castle town to and from Shinano province, and so the fort played a significant role over three generations of the Takeda clan, through Shingen to Katsuyori.

 

 

Mount Yumura was alternatively referred to as Noroshi-yama ("Beacon Mountain") back in the Edo period (1603 – 1868), and the remains of another beacon tower can be found on Mount Hōsenji, located on the same ridge line. Fire beacons had been used since ancient times as a way of transmitting information over long distances a lot quicker than people on horseback ever could, by way of lighting a fire on high ground and letting the smoke rise; such a means of communication was put to full use on Mount Yumura, forming a local network of beacons with other mountain forts in the area.

 

It is against this backdrop that the present beacon tower was erected, on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of local hero Takeda Shingen in 2021. A construction made possible by the donations of a great many people both from and outside of Yamanashi prefecture, through a crowdfunding campaign using the local Hometown Tax Payment Program.

 

Kofu City Tourism Division – October 2022