Mt. Takanbō stands tall in the northern part of Honjima Island. The mountain ridge is a series of carved out rock surfaces, and there are vestiges of the old quarry. This one was operated by the Hosokawa clan. Several hundred workers banded together and divided their roles up to excavate stones from this quarry. The surface of the mountain is still dotted with holes for wedges struck into the rocks known as “ya-ana,” or arrow holes. Making these holes was part of a process used to split stones. First, the hole was carved out using a chisel. Then, a wooden or iron wedge would be hammered into the hole. Eventually, a crack would spread, and a giant chunk of stone would separate from the rest of the mountain. You might be able to picture a scene from the past, of how these stonemasons worked.

The moss-covered rocks also have carvings in them that designate the different work groups. Five different symbols have been discovered, and judging from the distribution of these symbols, the work in the quarries was likely divided between these groups.

The massive rocks carved out of the mountain were hauled down the mountain on the ishibiki-michi path, transported to the shore, and loaded onto ships. The very shore where the rocks were transported to is what is currently known as Yagama Beach.

It is said that massive rocks excavated from Honjima were transported across the sea during the construction of Osaka Castle. However, some of the excavated stones never made it down from the mountain and remain there today, deep inside the forest. If you listen closely to the breeze rustling through the trees, you might feel you can hear sounds from the past, like tools clanging against stone.