The Kurokami Mountain Range consists of Mt. Kurokamiyama, Mt. Seirazan, Mt. Makinoyama and other mountains, which lie to the east of the famous pottery town of Arita, Saga Pref. The mountains are full of hikers and tourists all through the year. Mt. Kurokamiyama with an altitude of 516 meters is designated as a natural park by the prefecture. It is also given maintenance according to the prefecture’s forestry management plan for human life environment conservation. In this mountain grow very rare species of plants including national protected species of Gleichenia laevissima Christ and Poneorchis graminifolia var. kurokamiana, which you can’t find anywhere else. There are a lot of oddly shaped rocks all around the mountain and many legends have been handed down in this area. One of them goes that Minamoto no Tametomo saved a princess who was about to be attacked by a giant snake, which had behaved unruly in this area. At the start of a trail up the mountain stands a 7-meter stone statue of Taikoiwa Fudoson (the Buddhist divinity of fire). On the way to the mountain top, you can see a pair of Meoto-iwa rocks (husband and wife rocks), which look like rocks drawn in a Sansui landscape painting, and Ryumon Cave. At the top of the mountain you will see Tendo-iwa Rock, beside which is Kurokami Shrine Kamigu (upper shrine). The most marvelous is the landscapes that change according to the seasons; from cherry blossoms in full bloom in April to snow-covered mountainside in winter. From there you can go farther to Mt. Seirazan. You can command a panoramic view from the top of this mountain.