Kinkasan

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The Koganeyama Shrine on Kinkasan Island, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.
The Koganeyama Shrine on Kinkasan Island, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.

Kinkasan (金華山 Kinkasan?, or Kinkazan) is a small sacred island in Miyagi prefecture, Japan, and one of the Three Holy Places of Tōhoku. It lies in the Pacific Ocean off the Oshika Peninsula.

The Koganeyama Shrine, founded in 740, after gold was discovered on the island, attracts a large number of pilgrims. Until the 19th century, women were not allowed on the island.[citation needed]

Kinkasan is 9.5 km² in area, and its highest point is the pyramid-shaped Mount Kinka, which stands at 445 m. It has a human population of a few dozen, mostly people connected with the shrine or the handful of shops around the harbour, and is home to a number of deer and Japanese Macaque (monkeys).

The island is largely unspoiled, and has a number of scenic hiking routes. Access to the island is by ferry, departing from Ayukawa Harbor (in Ishinomaki) or Onagawa.

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Coordinates: 38°17′N, 141°34′E

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