Mount Kurohime (

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

: 黒姫山 ''Kurohime-yama'') is a

stratovolcano A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a typically conical volcano built up by many alternating layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with ...

located in Shinano town (信濃町),

Nagano Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,007,682 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture ...

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 ...

. The mountain is one of the 200 most famous mountains in Japan (日本に百名山), and one of the 100 most famous mountains in Nagano (信州百名山). Mount Kurohime is one of the "

Five Mountains of Northern Shinshu The Five Mountains of Northern Shinshu () or Five Mountains of Northern Nagano Prefecture are the traditionally distinctive mountains that can be seen in the northern Nagano Prefecture. They are: Mt. lizuna (飯縄山, 1917 meters above sea ...

" ( 北信五岳), which also includes two mountains located in

Nagano City is the capital and largest city of Nagano Prefecture, located in the Nagano Basin (Zenkoji Daira) in the central Chūbu region of Japan. Nagano is categorized as a core city of Japan. Nagano City is the highest prefectural capital in Japan, wit ...

Mount Iizuna , also written as 飯綱山 (Iizuna-yama), is a stratovolcano located ten kilometers north-northwest of the heart of Nagano, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. The mountain straddles the city of Nagano and Iizuna town in Kamiminochi District, Nagano. T ...

( 飯縄山), located 8.2 km to the south of Mount Kurohime, and

Mount Togakushi Mount Togakushi () is located in the former village of Togakushi, now located within the city of Nagano, Nagano, Japan. The mountain is 1904 meters (6247 ft) high. Mount Togakushi has traditionally been included in the Five Mountains of Nor ...

( 戸隠山), located 8 km to the southwest;

Mount Madarao Mount Madarao () is an extinct volcano located between Iiyama, Nagano, Iiyama and Shinano, Nagano, Japan. It is 1382 meters (4534 ft) high. Mount Madarao has traditionally been included in the Five Mountains of Northern Shinshu. Compared to ...

( 斑尾山), located 13.4 km to the east-northeast in Shinano town and Iiyama; and

Mount Myōkō is an active stratovolcano in Honshu, Japan. It is situated at the southwest of Myōkō city, Niigata Prefecture, and a part of Jōshin'etsu-kōgen National Park. Mount Myōkō is listed as one of 100 Famous Japanese Mountains, and together w ...

( 妙高山), located 8.8 km to the north in Myōkō city,

Niigata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,131,009 (1 July 2023) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area ...

Leisure activities

Hiking

There are several day-hike trails to the summit of Mount Kurohime. One popular route, that is rated relatively easy according to the Nagano Trail Guide, starts at Togakushi Camp Site. From there it is 20 minutes to Ohashi forest road entrance (大橋林道入り口), 35 minutes to the trailhead (登山道入り口), 100 minutes to Shindobunki (1485m) (新道分岐), 35 minutes to Shiratamadaira (1970m) (しらたま平), 15 minutes to Mineno oike bunki (1975m) (峰ノ大池分岐), and 10 minutes to the summit (2053m) (黒姫山山頂). There is also limited parking at Ohashi forest road entrance. An alternative route is to begin at Ohashi trailhead (大橋口山口), five minutes on foot along Nagano Prefectural Road Route 36 from Ohashi forest road entrance. From the Ohashi trailhead it is 30 minutes to Furuike (1200m) (古池), then 100 minutes to Shindobunki (1485m) (新道分岐), and then the same as above. There is an additional, although more physically challenging route due to the steepness of the route, beginning approximately 2.5 km from Kurohime Station. Mount Kurohime in winter from Togakushi Campground

Mount Kurohime in winter from Togakushi Campground

Skiing

Kurohime Kogen Ski Resort is located in Shinano town on the eastern slopes of Mount Kurohime.

In folklore

Mount Kurohime is famous for the folktale of Kurohime Monogatari, a tragic story about a snake (or dragon) living in Lake Iwakura (or Onuma Pond, depending on the version) and a princess of the

Takanashi clan The Takanashi clan () of Shinano Province were direct descendants of Minamoto no Yorisue, son of Yorinobu. One of the grandsons of Yorisue soon on took the name Takanashi. Takanashi Tadanao was a noted retainer of the Minamoto clan during th ...

. Kurohime was proposed to by a snake, but her father

Takanashi Masamori (died 1513) was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period, who ruled an area of central Shinano Province (modern-day Nagano Prefecture). He was allied with Nagao Tamekage. Family His father was Takanashi Masataka; his son was Takanashi Sumiyori. H ...

refused. The snake grew angry after being rejected multiple times, and tried to destroy the castle town. To placate the snake, Kurohime gave herself up. There are various versions of the ending. In one version, Kurohime dropped a sword and her hair in Lake Iwakura following the advice of a local god, defeating the snake but also disappearing herself. Another ending claimed she willingly went to live with the snake on top of Mount Kurohime. The name of the mountain is said to originate from the story's titular protagonist.

References

External links