Tanigawa-dake

谷川岳たにがわだけTanigawa-dake

Twin summits on the divide of Honshū and Japan's most notorious rock walls.

Tanigawa-dake (谷川岳) is a twin-peaked mountain of 1,977 m on the main divide between Gunma and Niigata prefectures, where weather from the Sea of Japan meets the Pacific side. Its sheer Ichinokura-sawa rock walls made it the cradle of Japanese rock climbing – and have cost more climbers' lives than any other mountain in the world.

Elevation: 1,977 mNational park · 1949100 Famous Mountains

National park: Joshinetsu Kogen National Park

Overview

Tanigawa-dake lies on the Mikuni mountains, the divide between the Pacific and Sea of Japan sides of Honshū. Though under 2,000 m, it behaves like a much higher peak: winter monsoon winds bring huge snowfalls, the treeline is low, and fog and storms can arrive within minutes.

The mountain's east side falls away in the vast rock walls of Ichinokura-sawa, Mahiru-sawa and Yūshi-sawa, which in the 1930s became the proving ground of Japanese alpinism. Their cost has been immense; Tanigawa-dake is often described as the world's deadliest mountain, and a memorial tower at Doai lists the names of the dead.

For ordinary hikers, however, a ropeway lifts them to Tenjindaira at about 1,320 m, and the summit ridge offers wide views over the Jōshin'etsu mountains, Oze and, on clear days, Fuji.

Landscape and formation

The Tanigawa range is made of old metamorphic and igneous rocks, including serpentinite, and was lifted along the divide. Heavy snow and avalanches have scoured the east-facing valleys into steep, glaciated-looking gullies and slabs. Beneath the range the Shimizu Tunnel (1931) and later tunnels carry the Jōetsu Line; Doai station, deep underground, is reached by 462 steps.

Highlights

Ichinokura-sawa
一ノ倉沢Ichinokura-sawa
A huge rock amphitheatre on the east side, viewable from the end of a valley road; one of Japan's three great rock walls.
Oki-no-mimi
オキの耳Oki-no-mimi
The higher summit, 1,977 m, with a small shrine.
Toma-no-mimi
トマの耳Toma-no-mimi
The lower summit, 1,963 m, reached first from the Tenjin ridge.
Mount Tanigawa ridge
谷川連峰Tanigawa renpō
The range continues west towards Mantarō-yama and Sennokura-yama, a classic ridge traverse.

Ecology

Strong winds and snow depress the treeline to about 1,500 m, so alpine flowers grow at unusually low elevations. Serpentinite outcrops support rare plants, and the Sea of Japan-side beech forests cover the lower slopes.

Flora

Narrow-leaved dwarf edelweiss
ホソバヒナウスユキソウhosoba-hina-usuyukisō
A small edelweiss found on serpentinite in the Tanigawa range.
Beech
ブナbuna
Forests of snow-country beech on the Niigata and Gunma slopes.

Fauna

Japanese serow
カモシカkamoshika
Common on the steep slopes of the valleys.
Golden eagle
イヌワシinuwashi
Breeds in the Mikuni mountains.

Culture

The small shrines on the two summits reflect older local worship, but Tanigawa-dake's cultural weight is modern. From the 1930s university and workers' alpine clubs from Tokyo reached it overnight by train and pioneered routes on its walls. On the Niigata side, Yuzawa – beyond the Shimizu Tunnel – is the setting of Kawabata Yasunari's novel Snow Country, which opens with a train emerging from the long tunnel into the snow.

Tanigawa-dake memorial tower
谷川岳慰霊碑Tanigawa-dake ireihi
A memorial near Doai where an annual service is held for those who have died on the mountain.
Doai station
土合駅Doai eki
The "mole station", whose down platform lies in a tunnel reached by 462 steps; long the climbers' gateway.
Tanigawa Onsen
谷川温泉Tanigawa onsen
A hot-spring village in Minakami at the foot of the mountain.

History

1931
The Shimizu Tunnel opens, bringing the Jōetsu Line under the range and climbers to Doai.
1930s
First climbing routes are opened on the Ichinokura-sawa walls.
1949
Jōshin'etsu Kōgen National Park is designated.
1960
A notorious rescue: the bodies of two climbers hanging from the Ichinokura wall are recovered by cutting the rope with rifle fire.
1966
Gunma Prefecture enacts the Tanigawa-dake accident-prevention ordinance.

Through the seasons

Spring

Deep snow until May; avalanche debris fills the valleys. Snow remains in Ichinokura-sawa into summer.

Summer

The hiking season from June to October; flowers on the ridges in July. Fog and thunderstorms are frequent.

Autumn

Autumn colours on the ridge in early October and at the ropeway base in late October, among the best in Kantō.

Winter

Extreme snowfall and wind; the ropeway serves a ski area, and winter climbing is for experienced mountaineers only.

Routes and trails

Tenjin ridge from the ropeway
From Tenjindaira (top station) via the Kata-no-koya hut to Toma-no-mimi and Oki-no-mimi; about 2.5 hours up, moderate.
Nishikurosawa ridge
From Doai straight up the steep western ridge, about 6 hours; one of Japan's three steepest ridges, strenuous with chains.
Tanigawa horseshoe
A classic circuit of the ridges around the Yuzawa river from Doai, usually two days with a hut night.

Practical notes

Climbers entering designated dangerous areas such as the rock walls must submit a climbing notification under Gunma's ordinance; see the prefecture for current requirements.
Weather can turn within an hour; carry rain gear, warm layers and a map even for the ropeway route.
The ropeway operates year-round but is suspended in high winds.
The Ichinokura-sawa viewpoint is reached on foot or by low-emission vehicle along a road closed to private cars.

Frequently asked questions

Why is Tanigawa-dake called a deadly mountain?

Since the 1930s far more climbers have died here than on any other single mountain, mostly on the rock walls of Ichinokura-sawa and in sudden winter storms. Gunma Prefecture introduced a special accident-prevention ordinance for the mountain in 1966.

Is the normal route dangerous?

The Tenjin ridge route from the ropeway top station is a moderate hike of about 2.5 hours to the summit, safe in fair summer weather. The danger comes from fog, rapid weather changes and winter conditions, which have caught many unprepared hikers.

What are Toma-no-mimi and Oki-no-mimi?

The two summit knolls: Toma-no-mimi ("near ear", 1,963 m) and Oki-no-mimi ("far ear", 1,977 m), about 15 minutes apart.

How is Tanigawa-dake reached from Tokyo?

By Jōetsu Shinkansen to Jōmō-Kōgen, then by bus to the Tanigawa-dake Ropeway, or by JR Jōetsu Line to Doai station; about two to three hours in total.

Sources

1.日本の主な山岳標高 (opens in a new tab) — 国土地理院 (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan)
2.上信越高原国立公園 (opens in a new tab) — 環境省 (Ministry of the Environment)
3.群馬県ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 群馬県 (Gunma Prefecture)