Akaishi Mountains

Akaishi Mountains (赤石山脈, Akaishi Sanmyaku) is a mountain range in central Honshū, Japan, bordering Nagano, Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures. It is also called the Southern Alps (南アルプス, Minami Arupusu), as it joins with the Hida Mountains ("Northern Alps") and the Kiso Mountains ("Central Alps") to form the Japanese Alps.

Akaishi Mountains
Southern Alps (南アルプス)
Akaishi Mountains ( Mount Kita and Mount Aino ) from Mount Komatsu
Highest point
Peak	Mount Kita
Elevation	3,193 m (10,476 ft)
Coordinates	35°40′16″N 138°14′31.3″E
Dimensions
Length	120 km (75 mi)
Width	40 km (25 mi)
Naming
Native name	赤石山脈  (Japanese)
Geography
Honshu
Country	Japan
Prefectures	Nagano, Yamanashi and Shizuoka
Range coordinates	35°40.5′N 138°2.6′E
Parent range	Japanese Alps

Origin of the name

There are a lot of red stones (赤石 Aka-Ishi) around the Akaishi River, a tributary of the Ōi River in the southern part of Southern Alps. Then it was said that the mountain of red stone came to be called Mount Akaishi. The mountain represents the mountain range and the name Akaishi is used for the whole range mountain range, Akaishi Mountains.[1]

Major peaks

Almost all major peaks of the Akaishi Mountains are in Minami Alps National Park that was established on June 1, 1964.[2] The range is the source of two rivers, Ōi River and Tenryū River, which flow to the Pacific Ocean.

Scenery of Akaishi Mountains seen from Mount Ena in early winter

Major Peaks of Akaishi Mountains

Image	Mountain	Height	Note
	Mt. Hōō	2,840 m (9,318 ft)	100 Famous
	Mt. Nokogiri	2,685 m (8,809 ft)	200 Famous
	Mt. Kaikoma	2,967 m (9,734 ft)	100 Famous
	Mt. Senjō	3,033 m (9,951 ft)	100 Famous
	Mt. Kita	3,193 m (10,476 ft)	the highest mountain in Akaishi Mountains 100 Famous
	Mt. Aino	3,189 m (10,463 ft)	100 Famous
	Mt. Nōtori	3,026 m (9,928 ft)	200 Famous
	Mt. Shiomi	3,047 m (9,997 ft)	100 Famous
	Mt. Warusawa	3,141 m (10,305 ft)	100 Famous
	Mt. Akaishi	3,120 m (10,236 ft)	100 Famous
	Mt. Hijiri	3,013 m (9,885 ft)	100 Famous
	Mt. Tekari	2,591 m (8,501 ft)	100 Famous

Panorama

Yatsugatake and Akaishi Mountains from Mt.Utsugidake.

Flora and fauna

Alpine plants, such as Siberian dwarf pine can be seen above the tree line. Rock ptarmigan and spotted nutcracker also live in the alpine zone. Japanese serow and sika deer live in the forest belt on the mountain slopes. Callianthemum hondoense (北岳草, Kitadake-sō) is endemic to Mount Kita.

• 
  Rock ptarmigan
• 
  Spotted
  nutcracker
• 
  Sika deer
• 
  Siberian
  dwarf pine
• 
  Callianthemum
  hondoense
• 
  Polemonium
  caeruleum

Walter Weston in the Japanese Alps

Weston park in Mt. Ena

Englishman Walter Weston introduced the Western world to the Japanese Alps in his book Mountaineering and Exploring in the Japanese Alps. During his visits to Japan, he climbed Akaishi Mountains. Several monuments in his memory have been set up in several places in the Japanese Alps.

He climbed the following peaks:

• 1892 Mount Akaishi - The first non-Japanese to climb this mountain
• 1902 Mount Kita
• 1903 Mount Kaikoma
• 1904 Mount Hōō and Mount Senjō

See also

• Japanese Alps
  • Hida Mountains (Northern Alps)
  • Kiso Mountains (Central Alps)
• Minami Alps National Park
• Minami-Alps Biosphere Reserve
• 100 Famous Japanese Mountains
• Walter Weston

References

1. Name dictionary of Japanese Mountain (日本山名辞典), Shōbunsya(昭文社) in 1992, ISBN 4-385-15403-1, P4
2. Minami Alps National Park Archived 2011-03-22 at the Wayback Machine(home page of the Ministry of the Environment)

Books

• Mountaineering and Exploring in the Japanese Alps -by Walter Weston (1896)

External links

• Yamanashi Nichinichi Newspaper: Minami Alps website