城山（長野県松本市）

Joyama was another free climb.... Joyama (城山) (934.5 meters / 3065.9 feet) is located directly east of Kinshojiyama in western Matsumoto.  It is difficult to find any reference for Joyama, since it is translates to "castle mountain" and this is a very popular name for many locations.  Coordinates make the best reference to determine where it is....so the approximate location is 36.223877, 137.839958. I started by parking my car next to a game fence, near the Kinshojiyama trailhead and started up the maintenance road. Then, I came across about 12 wild monkeys foraging in the hills along the road.  It's hard to catch a shot of them, since they move fast.  Going up the road, I came to the point where I thought might be a trail....but I was wrong again.  This was another drainage gully that goes to the top of the ridgeline.  So up I climbed, making my way up the hill as best as I could.  At the top of the ridgeline, I started moving toward the peak.   I found the signs of a castle at the top (defensive ditches before the high point and a berm surrounding the high area).  I went on and found the topstone for Joyama, which was really a monument stone on the summit.  Not much up there, and no good views from the top, or any other point along the way up.  After lunch, and a few photos, I started back to the original ridgeline, but then decided to free climb down another route to the nearest road.  I found a mountain road, came out of the forest and made my way back to my car.    Nice little climb for a sunny day.