Mount Goken (Gokenzan)

Rising sharply above the Mure district east of Takamatsu, Mount Goken is one of the most distinctive peaks on the Shikoku coast. Its name means five swords, a reference to the five jagged rock pinnacles that once crowned its ridge like blades against the sky. A powerful earthquake in 1707 toppled the sharpest of them, leaving the summit a little less spiky than in centuries past, but the mountain's dramatic profile still dominates the eastern skyline and makes it instantly recognisable from Yashima and the plain below.

The mountain is inseparable from Yakuri-ji, the eighty-fifth temple of the Shikoku eighty-eight-temple pilgrimage, which nestles against the crags near the summit. Pilgrims and sightseers alike ride the charming Yakuri Cable Car, a retro funicular that climbs steeply through forest to the temple precinct, one of the more atmospheric temple approaches on the whole circuit. From the temple grounds and the short trails around them, the land falls away to reveal Takamatsu, the Yashima plateau opposite, and the glittering expanse of the Seto Inland Sea studded with islands.

The views from Goken's ridge have a different character from those of nearby Yashima. Here you are looking across at Yashima's table-top silhouette itself, with the city and coastline framed between the mountain's own rock towers, giving a sense of depth and drama that a single flat lookout cannot match. On clear autumn and winter days the visibility is superb, the cold air sharpening the outlines of distant islands, while spring brings blossom and fresh green to the temple grounds and autumn sets the slopes glowing.

Beyond the scenery, the mountain carries deep spiritual and historical associations. Yakuri-ji is linked in legend to Kobo Daishi, the founder of Shingon Buddhism and the spiritual heart of the Shikoku pilgrimage, and the whole massif has long been regarded as a sacred place. Walking among its rocks and cedars, with pilgrims in white passing between the halls, gives the visit a contemplative quality that pure viewpoints often lack.

Getting there is part of the pleasure. From Kotoden Yakuri Station it is a fifteen-minute walk to the cable car base, and the short, steep ride delivers you close to the summit temple and its lookouts; energetic visitors can also hike the trails that lace the mountain. Some scrambling is involved to reach the highest rocky viewpoints, so sturdy shoes help, but the temple-level views are accessible to most. Combining a pilgrimage temple, a nostalgic cable car and commanding coastal panoramas, Mount Goken is one of the most rewarding half-day outings in the Takamatsu area and a fine complement to a visit to neighbouring Yashima.