Mount Kinbō (Kumamoto)

Mount Kinbō or Mount Kinpō is a stratovolcano in the west of Kumamoto city, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. It is an extinct stratovolcano and lava dome. Mount Kinbō overlooks the city of Kumamoto and is used for sightseeing and for radio and TV broadcast antennas.

Geology

Older than nearby Mount Aso, it formed over the past 100 million years. Extensive volcanic activity took place 56 million years to 50 million years ago. The last eruption took place from 200,000 years to 150,000 years ago. In 1889 a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck beneath the mountain. In 2016 the foreshock of the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes also struck beneath Mount Kinbō.

History

Master swordsman Miyamoto Musashi wrote parts of his Book of Five Rings while staying on the mountain. Most of the mountain now lies within Kinpōzan Prefectural Natural Park.