Chūgoku Mountains (中国山地) is a mountain range in the Chūgoku region of western Japan. It runs in an east–west direction and stretches approximately 500 km from Hyōgo Prefecture in the east to the coast of Yamaguchi Prefecture. The range also reaches under the Pacific Ocean. The two tallest mountains in the group are Daisen and Mount Hyōno, which are 1729 m and 1510 m, respectively. Many other mountains in the range are also over 1000 m, while some of the smaller mountains are less than 500 m. Granite is the most common stone found among the mountains, much of which has been exposed through erosion.

Geography

Other than Daisen, most of the mountains run along the border of Tottori and Okayama prefectures and the border of Shimane and Hiroshima prefectures. The mountains form a drainage divide and natural barrier in western Japan between the San'in Region to the north and the San'yō Region to the south.

Major mountains

Rivers

The Chūgoku Mountains are the source of several rivers in western Japan. All flow either north to the Japan Sea or south to the Inland Sea with the exception of the Gōnokawa River (206 km), which runs along the mountain range in Hiroshima and Shimane prefectures. The Sendai River (52 km), the Tenjin River (32 km), the Hino River (77 km), and the Kando River (82 km) all run steeply from the Chūgoku Mountains to the Japan Sea. The Yoshii River (83 km), the Asahi River (88 km), and the Ōta River (655 km) form a broader alluvial plain to the south of the mountain range and empty in to the Inland Sea.

Economy

The Chūgoku Mountains are a source of iron sand, and the region was home to some of the earliest production of ironware in Japan. The broad tablelands of the mountain region support cattle ranches, notably for the production of wagyu beef. The numerous rivers of the Chūgoku Mountains support an extensive network of rice production in western Japan.