Makabe-toge Mountain Pass (真壁峠)
Makabe Toge is a mountain pass of about 100 meters high, located between Nishi-Maizuru (West Maizuru) and Kasa-cho of Maizuru City, Kyoto Prefecture.
The area around the mountain top is shaped like it has been carved out of mountain and called as 'Ketsumata-toge Pass' (Butt crack mountain pass) since it resembles a pair of buttocks when viewed from front from Nishi-Maizuru City.
Roads
Shidaka Nishi-Maizuru Line of Kyoto Prefectural Route 66
Road condition
The width of the road at the mountain pass is mainly 1 to 1.5 lanes and has a series of small turns with sharp angles.
On the other hand, traffic jams occur frequently on National Route 175, the main road that connects Kasa and Nishi-Maizuru regions, resulting in many that try to avoid the route and use the road at the mountain pass instead.
Plans to widen the road have already been placed at the top of the list for city planning, but there is no prospect for actual work as of yet.
History
It was used for commercial purpose or Sankin Kotai (daimyo's alternate-year residence in Edo) of the lord of Tanabe Domain of Tango Province from Edo period. In addition, there was a plan to build a rail road between Nishi-Maizuru and Miyazu Stations across the mountain pass by jutting out at the Yura-gawa River and running it north along the river, but construction proved difficult and it was constructed on the current route (Kitakinki Tango Railway Miyazu Line Nishi-Maizuru Station - Tango Kanzaki Station).
Note
Since the mountain of the mountain pass was dark, there were many who committed suicide by hanging near the mountain top during Showa period and is noted as a famous suicide place.