is a

cape A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment of any length that hangs loosely and connects either at the neck or shoulders. They usually cover the back, shoulders, and arms. They come in a variety of styles and have been used th ...

located on the border of

Futtsu file:富津市役所.jpg, 260px, Futtsu City Hall is a Cities of Japan, city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 42,476 in 18,115 households and a population density of 210 persons per km2. The total are ...

and

Kyonan file:鋸山から保田方面 Hota view from Mt. Nokogiri 20130105 - panoramio.jpg, 250px, View of Hota from Mount Nokogiri is a List of towns in Japan, town located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 7,409 in ...

, Chiba,

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, where Mount Nokogiri on its western end precipitously falls into the

Uraga Channel The is a waterway connecting Tokyo Bay to the Sagami Gulf. It is an important channel for ships headed from Tokyo, Yokohama, and Chiba to the Pacific Ocean and beyond. Geography The Uraga channel is at the southern end of Tokyo Bay (formerly ...

Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan spanning the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture, on the southern coast of the island of Honshu. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. Th ...

. Cape Myōgane marked the eastern border between Awa Province and

Kazusa Province was a province of Japan in the area of modern Chiba Prefecture. The province was located in the middle of the Bōsō Peninsula, whose name takes its first ''kanji'' from the name of Awa Province and its second from Kazusa and Shimōsa province ...

in pre-modern Japan. The area surrounding the cape is mountainous and known from early times as an area difficult to traverse by land. Cape Myōgane, due to its strategic location over the Uraga Channel, was also a noted defensive position. By the

Meiji period The was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonizatio ...

(1868–1912) one tunnel was constructed near the cape to allow easier passage in the area. A railroad tunnel was completed in 1917 under the area between Cape Myōgane and Mount Nokogiri. Now called the Nokogiriyama Tunnel, it spans and allows the

JR East The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in ...

Uchibō Line to connect

Soga Station is a junction railway station located in Chūō-ku, Chiba, Chūō-ku, Chiba, Chiba, Chiba, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It is also a freight depot for the Japan Freight Railway Company (JR Freigh ...

Chiba City is the capital city of Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It sits about east of the centre of Tokyo on Tokyo Bay. The city became a government-designated city in 1992. In March 2025, its population was 983,045, with a population density of 3,617 people ...

to cities in the south of the Bōsō Peninsula. Cape Myōgane, due to its strategic location over the Uraga Channel, was also a noted defensive position. Currently three tunnels (Motona, Shiofuki and Myōgane) allow safe passage by road via National Route 127. Cape Myōgane is known as a particularly rich fishing area. At the beginning of the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

(1603–1868) the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

took direct control of the

fisheries Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life or, more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a., fishing grounds). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farm ...

of the area at and around near Cape Myōgane, and designated Tateyama to the south as a market and shipping point for marine products to the

Edo Edo (), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the '' de facto'' capital of Japan from 1603 as the seat of the Tokugawa shogu ...

capitol. The cape continues to be a popular spot for amateur fishing.

References

Landforms of Chiba Prefecture Myogane {{Chiba-geo-stub