Mountains · Toyama
Tateyama
立山たてやまTateyamaOne of Japan's three holy mountains, above the high plateau of Murodō.
Tateyama (立山) is a sacred massif in the Northern Alps of Toyama Prefecture, counted with Fuji and Hakusan among Japan's three holy mountains; its highest peak, Ōnanji-yama, reaches 3,015 m. The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route carries visitors to the Murodō plateau at about 2,450 m, from where the summit shrine on Oyama is a short climb.
Overview
Tateyama rises at the western edge of the Northern Alps, directly above the Toyama plain and only some 30 km from the Sea of Japan. Its crest is a row of peaks – Oyama, Ōnanji-yama and Fuji-no-Oritate, known together as the Sanzan – with Bessan and Jōdo-san completing the traditional circuit. To the west lies the high volcanic plateau of Murodō and Midagahara; to the east the ground falls steeply to the Kurobe gorge.
For over a thousand years Tateyama was a pilgrimage mountain where believers were said to see both hell, in the steaming Jigokudani valley, and the Pure Land, on the summits. Since 1971 the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, a chain of cable cars, trolley buses and buses between Toyama and Nagano, has made the plateau one of the most visited high-mountain areas in Japan.
The massif catches some of the heaviest snowfall on earth, piling up drifts of more than 15 m along the Murodō road, and in 2012 its permanent snowfields were recognised as the first living glaciers known in Japan.
Landscape and formation
The Tateyama peaks are old rock – granite and gneiss of the Hida belt – shaped by glaciers into cirques such as the Yamazaki cirque below Oyama, a natural monument. West of them, the Tateyama volcano built the broad lava plateau of Midagahara and Murodō over the last few hundred thousand years; its latest phase left explosion craters such as Mikurigaike and Midorigaike, and the fumaroles of Jigokudani are still active.
Moist winter monsoon air from the Sea of Japan meets the mountains head-on, which explains the enormous snowfalls. The Shōmyō Falls, falling 350 m from the edge of the Midagahara plateau, are the tallest in Japan.
Highlights
Oyama
雄山Oyama3,003 m, the pilgrims' summit with the Mine-honsha, the peak shrine of Oyama Jinja.
Ōnanji-yama
大汝山Ōnanji-yama3,015 m, the highest point of the massif, twenty minutes north of Oyama.
Mikurigaike
みくりが池MikurigaikeA volcanic crater lake beside Murodō that mirrors the Tateyama peaks.
Jigokudani
地獄谷Jigokudani"Hell Valley", a steaming fumarole field; paths through it are closed when gas levels are high.
- 称名滝Shōmyō-daki
Japan's tallest waterfall at about 350 m, plunging from the Midagahara plateau.
- 黒部ダムKurobe damu
Japan's highest dam, on the eastern side of the Alpine Route, above the Kurobe gorge.
Ecology
Tateyama is the best place in Japan to see the rock ptarmigan, which lives around Murodō in the dwarf-pine belt. The Midagahara plateau holds subalpine wetlands with pond pools (gakitanota) and was designated a Ramsar site in 2012. Beech and giant Tateyama cedar forests cover the lower slopes at Bijodaira.
Flora
Tateyama cedars
立山杉Tateyama-sugiAncient, snow-bent Japanese cedars at Bijodaira, some said to be over 1,000 years old.
Chinguruma
チングルマchingurumaCarpets the snowbeds around Murodō in July.
Tateyama-rindō
タテヤマリンドウtateyama-rindōA small pale-blue gentian named after the mountain, common in the Midagahara wetlands.
Fauna
Rock ptarmigan
ライチョウraichōA special natural monument and Toyama's prefectural bird; often seen near the Murodō paths.
Stoat
オコジョokojoHunts among the boulders of the high plateau.
Culture
According to legend, Tateyama was opened in 701 by Saeki Ariyori, a young nobleman who pursued a wounded bear into a cave and found it transformed into the Amida Buddha. From the villages of Ashikuraji and Iwakuraji at the foot, oshi priests guided pilgrims up the mountain and travelled throughout Japan with the Tateyama Mandala, painted scrolls showing the torments of hell and the paradise awaiting the faithful. Women were barred from the mountain; for them the Nunobashi Kanjōe ceremony at Ashikuraji symbolically crossed into the Pure Land. The poet Ōtomo no Yakamochi, governor of Etchū, praised Tateyama in the Man'yōshū.
Oyama Jinja
雄山神社Oyama JinjaA shrine in three parts: the Mine-honsha on the summit, the Ashikuraji and the Iwakuraji shrines at the foot.
Tateyama Museum
立山博物館Tateyama HakubutsukanThe prefectural museum in Ashikuraji explaining Tateyama belief and the mandalas.
Murodō hut
室堂小屋Murodō-goyaA pilgrim lodge of the Edo period, the oldest surviving mountain hut in Japan and an important cultural property.
History
701
Traditional date of Saeki Ariyori's opening of the mountain.
8th century
Ōtomo no Yakamochi writes poems on Tateyama, later included in the Man'yōshū.
Edo period
Ashikuraji oshi priests spread Tateyama belief across Japan with painted mandalas.
1934
Chūbu-Sangaku National Park is designated.
1963
Kurobe Dam is completed on the eastern side of the massif.
1971
The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route opens throughout.
2012
Gozenzawa glacier is confirmed; Midagahara and Daininichidaira become a Ramsar site.
Through the seasons
Spring
The Alpine Route reopens around mid-April; the road to Murodō runs between walls of snow up to about 15 m high. Ski touring from Murodō is popular.
Summer
From July the snow retreats and flowers bloom around Mikurigaike; the main hiking season lasts until September.
Autumn
Colours descend from the peaks in late September to Midagahara in early October; first snow often falls in October.
Winter
The Alpine Route closes from late November to April; the plateau lies under metres of snow and is out of reach for ordinary visitors.
Routes and trails
Murodō – Ichinokoshi – Oyama
The pilgrim route: about 2 hours up, rocky and steep in the upper part, suitable for fit hikers in good weather.
Tateyama Sanzan traverse
Oyama – Ōnanji-yama – Fuji-no-Oritate – Masago-dake – Bessan and down to Raichōzawa and Murodō; 5–6 hours in total, a classic ridge day.
Midagahara wetland walks
Boardwalks through the subalpine marsh near the Midagahara bus stop, 1 hour or less; easy.
Ascent to Tsurugi-dake
From Murodō over Bessan to Kenzan-sō, starting point for the Betsuzan ridge to Tsurugi-dake.
Practical notes
- Murodō is reached from Toyama via Tateyama station and the Bijodaira cable car and highland bus, or from Ōgizawa (Nagano side) via Kurobe Dam; the full Alpine Route takes most of a day.
- Murodō lies at about 2,450 m: weather changes rapidly, and snow can fall in any month.
- Paths near Jigokudani may be closed because of volcanic gas; Midagahara is monitored by the Japan Meteorological Agency, whose volcano pages give current information.
- Ptarmigan are protected: keep to the paths and do not feed or approach them.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the summit of Tateyama?
Tateyama is a group of peaks. Oyama (3,003 m), with its summit shrine, is the traditional goal of pilgrims; Ōnanji-yama (3,015 m), a short walk further north, is the highest point.
How long does it take to climb Oyama from Murodō?
About two hours up via the Ichinokoshi hut and one and a half down. The path is rocky and steep above Ichinokoshi but has no technical difficulties.
Is Tateyama a volcano?
The summit peaks are old granite and gneiss, but the Murodō and Midagahara plateau to the west is the Tateyama volcano, listed by the Japan Meteorological Agency as the active volcano Midagahara; its crater area Jigokudani emits volcanic gas.
When can the snow corridor be seen?
The Yuki-no-Ōtani snow corridor on the road to Murodō is opened when the Alpine Route resumes in spring, usually in mid-April, and lasts until about June.
Are there glaciers on Tateyama?
Yes. In 2012 the Gozenzawa snow patch on the east side of Oyama was recognised as a living glacier, one of the first confirmed in Japan.
Related
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.中部山岳国立公園 (opens in a new tab) — 環境省 (Ministry of the Environment)
- 3.火山登山者向けの情報提供ページ（弥陀ヶ原） (opens in a new tab) — 気象庁 (Japan Meteorological Agency)
- 4.富山県公式ウェブサイト (opens in a new tab) — 富山県 (Toyama Prefecture)