Motoyama Hills

The Motoyama Hills [鷲山; もとやま] is an area of hills stretching across the northern portion of --- Prefecture. 
There are three main peaks in the range, namely Mount Motome, Mount Torikae, and Mount Kanbara. The Motozake River passes over the largest mountain, Mount Motome, on its path down from the Ikumo range. A tributary of the Motokamari, the Sekamizu River, takes its course east before meeting with the --- River in --- Prefecture (east of Shinkō). 
Historically, the hills have provided surrounding regions with a good source of iron ore, and the region is full of remains from ancient hunter-gatherer settlements. The foothills of the Motoyama in --- Prefecture have been developed extensively since the 1950s to support demand for housing in the cities of --- and ---. This region is now mostly a patchwork of new residential suburbs and low, forested hills, with some pockets of remaining farmland. On the Shinkō side, northwards, a fairly large area of forest still exists, known as Motoyama Forest.