is one of the

100 Famous Japanese Mountains is a book written in 1964 by Mountaineering, mountaineer and author Kyūya Fukada.Hyakumeizan, Hiking Japan ...

. The peak lies in the southern part of the Hida Mountains (Northern Alps) of

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 ...

, on the border of Ōmachi and Matsumoto in

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 ...

and Takayama in

Gifu Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,910,511 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa Prefecture ...

. The priest Banryū (1786–1840) founded a temple there. The headwater of Japan's longest river, the

Shinano River The , known as the in its upper reaches, is the longest and widest river in Japan and the third largest by basin area (behind the Tone River and Ishikari River). It is located in northeastern Honshu, rising in the Japanese Alps and flowing g ...

, begins here as the Azusa River.

History

* July 28, 1828 - Banryū first climbed the mountain. * 1878 - William Gowland became the first non-Japanese man to climb to the top. * August, 1891 - Englishman

Walter Weston Walter Weston (25 December 1861 – 27 March 1940) was an English clergyman and Anglican missionary who helped popularise recreational mountaineering in Japan at the turn of the 20th century. Background and early life Weston was born 25 Dece ...

climbed to the top. * 1922 - Japanese mountaineer Maki Yūkō made the first winter ascent of the mountain. * December 20, 1959 - Senshu University mountain staff is climbing Kitakama (北鎌) Ridge when an avalanche occurs, 9 people were killed.

Outline

Mount Yari is located in the Chūbu-Sangaku National Park. The name derives from its shape, which resembles a spear (槍 ''yari'') thrust into the sky. Because of its shape, it is also called the

Matterhorn The , ; ; ; or ; ; . is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the Main chain of the Alps, main watershed and border between Italy and Switzerland. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the Pennine Alps, ...

of Japan. Ridges and valleys reach out from this pyramid-shaped mountain in all directions. The four ridges are Higashikama (東鎌), Yarihotaka (槍穂高), Nishikama (西鎌) and Kitakama (北鎌) to the east, south, west and north, respectively. The four valleys are Yarizawa (槍沢), Hidazawa or Yaridaira (飛騨沢 or 槍平), Senjōzawa (千丈沢) and Tenjōzawa (天丈沢) to the southeast, southwest, northwest and northeast, respectively. During the hiking season, Mount Yari is popular with mountain climbers. One of the most infamous ridges is Kitakama. It became known through its association with mountaineer , who was a model for the novel ''Kokō no Hito'' (孤高の人), by

Jirō Nitta is the pen name of Japanese historical novelist . He was born in an area that is now part of the city of Suwa, Nagano Prefecture, Japan.Geographical Survey Institute of Japan The , or GSI, is the national institution responsible for surveying and mapping the national land of Japan. The former name of the organization from 1949 until March 2010 was Geographical Survey Institute; despite the rename, it retains the same ...

, it is of little importance and even on topographic maps, the summit of Yari-ga-take appears merely as an elevation point.

Surroundings

There are several mountain huts in the vicinity of the mountain: Yari-ga-take Sansō (槍ヶ岳山荘), Sesshō Hut (殺生ヒュッテ), Hut Ōyari (ヒュッテ大槍), Yarisawa Lodge (槍沢ロッジ), Yaridaira-goya (槍平小屋) and Wasabidaira-goya (わさび平小屋). Being situated in the Japanese Alps, several prominent mountains can be reached from Mount Yari, among them: Sugoroku-dake (双六岳), Nishi-dake (西岳), Ōgui-dake (大喰岳), Naka-dake (中岳), Minami-dake (南岳), Okumaru-yama (奥丸山).

Main ascent routes

;Higashikama ridge (Omoteginza (表銀座) route) :Nakabusa Onsen (中房温泉) ― Tsubakuro-dake (燕岳) ― Otensho-dake (大天井岳) ― Higashikama ridge ― Yari-ga-take ;Nishikama ridge (Uraginza (裏銀座) route) :Takase dam (高瀬ダム) ― Eboshi-dake (烏帽子岳) ― Noguchigorō-dake ― Washiba-dake (鷲羽岳) ― Sugoroku-dake (双六岳) ― もみさわだけ Momizawa-dake (樅沢岳) ― Nishikama ridge ― Yariga-take ;Yarisawa (槍沢) route : Kamikōchi (上高地) ― Myōjinike (明神池) ― Tokusawa (徳沢) ― Yokoo (横尾) ― Yarisawa lodge ― Yari-ga-take ;Yaridaira route :Shinhodaka Onsen ― Migimatadani (右俣谷) ― Yaridaira ― Yari-ga-take ;Wasabidaira (わさび平) route :Shinhodaka Onsen ― Hidarimatadani (左俣谷) ― Wasabidaira ― Okumaru-yama ― Nakazaki ridge (中崎尾根) ― Yari-ga-take ;Kitakama ridge (variation route) :Takase dam ― Yumata-onsen-seiransō (湯俣温泉晴嵐荘) ― (千天出合) ― Kitakama ridge ― Yari-ga-take ;Yarihotaka traverse (槍穂高縦走) route :Kamikōchi ― Maehotaka-dake (前穂高岳) ― Okuhotaka-dake (奥穂高岳) ― Hotakadake mountain cottage (穂高岳山荘) ― Karasawa-dake (涸沢岳) ― Kitahotaka-dake (北穂高岳) ― Daikiretto (大キレット) ― Minami-dake (南岳) ― Ōbami-dake (Ōbami-dake　大喰岳) ― Yari-ga-take

References

External links

*
Mount Yari (Yari-ga-take)

Topographic map
(1:25,000)
A guide to hiking Yarigatake
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yari Hida Mountains

Yari is the term for a traditionally-made Japanese blade (日本刀; nihontō) in the form of a spear, or more specifically, the straight-headed spear. The martial art of wielding the is called . History The forerunner of the is thought to be a ...