GUNUNG · Japan

Mount Ontake

御嶽山 (Ontake-san / Kiso Ontake)

Information

Elevation: 3.067 m
Country: Japan (JP)
Location / Range: Gunung berapi soliter di perbatasan Prefektur Nagano–Gifu, wilayah Kiso, Jepang tengah
Mountain type: Gunung berapi strato soliter (stratovolcano) — gunung berapi tertinggi kedua di Jepang setelah Fuji dan gunung tertinggi ke-14 di negara itu
Volcanic?: Yes — volcano
Coordinates: 35.8928, 137.4803
Difficulty: Menengah: umumnya trek sehari bertanda dari beberapa titik awal; tanjakan panjang di atas 2.000 m menuntut kebugaran, tetapi tanpa pemanjatan teknis. Sejak erupsi 2014 sebagian kawasan puncak dibatasi
Best Season: Pertengahan Juli–Oktober; jalur bersalju dan resmi lebih berbahaya di luar musim itu
Permits & Rules: Tanpa izin khusus untuk mendaki, tetapi WAJIB mematuhi zona larangan (exclusion zone) di sekitar kawah puncak yang ditetapkan pasca-erupsi 2014; pendaki dianjurkan mendaftar rencana pendakian dan memeriksa status aktivitas vulkanik JMA sebelum berangkat
Hazards: Gas vulkanik, kemungkinan erupsi freatik mendadak nyaris tanpa peringatan (seperti bencana 27 September 2014), cuaca gunung yang cepat berubah, dan zona kawah yang dibatasi

Description

Mount Ontake (御嶽山, 3,067 m) is a stratovolcano rising on the border of Nagano and Gifu Prefectures in the Kiso region of central Japan. It is the second-highest volcano in Japan after Mount Fuji and the country's 14th-highest mountain, and is listed among Kyūya Fukada's '100 Famous Japanese Mountains' (1964). For centuries Ontake has been a sacred peak and a centre of mountain worship (the Ontake-kyō faith and Shugendō tradition), so its trails are lined with small shrines, statues and pilgrim monuments. On 27 September 2014 the volcano erupted phreatically with almost no warning while many hikers were on the summit on an autumn weekend; the disaster killed at least 58 people and was Japan's deadliest volcanic eruption since World War II. Since then parts of the summit and crater area have been restricted, and climbers are urged to check volcanic-activity status before ascending.

Gallery

Foto bersumber dari Wikimedia Commons — klik untuk memperbesar & lihat sumbernya.

Routes

Rute Ta-no-hara menuju Ken-ga-mine

Menengah–berat

±6–8 jam pulang-pergi

The standard current route from the Ta-no-hara trailhead (~1,720–1,820 m) through forest to Hachi-go-me (~2,500 m), then up an exposed ridge to the Ken-ga-mine area (~3,010 m) — the practical upper limit while the crater rim/true 3,067 m summit remains restricted.

Source

Rute Ōtaki-guchi (Otaki)

Berat; curam. Bagian atas dari Ōtaki-Chōjō ke Kengamine ditutup lama sejak erupsi

±6–8 jam pulang-pergi (jalur naik terpendek)

The shortest route to the top, starting from Ōtaki Village (~8.8 km). It was the trail with the most 2014 casualties; the upper section from Ōtaki-Chōjō to Kengamine is under long-term closure and the boundary has shifted several times — confirm the current limit before going.

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Safety Statistics

Aggregated for prevention and awareness — not a casualty list. Read alongside the safety tips below.

Causes of death

Other

💡 Phreatic (steam-driven) eruptions occur without magma movement, so they give almost no precursor signal — this is why the 2014 Ontake eruption could not be predicted. Sulphur gas (H₂S) and thick ash also hampered rescue. Check JMA's current activity before departing, file a climbing plan, and never push on an active volcano with a raised status even in clear weather.
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Rockfall

💡 Most fatalities in the 2014 eruption were from high-velocity volcanic rocks striking hikers near the summit — blunt and penetrating trauma (classed as secondary/quaternary blast injuries), not lava. Heed JMA volcanic alert levels (cancel if raised to Level 2+), wear a helmet, and memorise the nearest shelter huts before climbing an active volcano.
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Notable incidents

1979 1979 phreatic eruption — first in recorded history

Ontake was thought to be inactive until October 1979, when a series of explosive phreatic eruptions ejected ~200,000 tons of ash (VEI 2) — the first eruption in recorded history. Minor non-explosive phreatic activity recurred in 1991 and 2007, a reminder that Ontake is an active volcano requiring continuous monitoring.
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2014 27 September 2014 Ontake phreatic eruption — 63 killed

On 27 September 2014 at 11:52 JST, Ontake erupted phreatically with no meaningful warning — at midday on a clear Saturday at the height of the autumn hiking season, when several hundred people were on the slopes and many near the 3,067 m summit. 63 people were killed (five bodies never found) and more than 40 injured, mostly from being struck by volcanic rocks. It was Japan's worst volcanic disaster since the 1926 Tokachidake eruption. The lesson: an active volcano can erupt without warning; wear a helmet, follow JMA alert levels, and know the evacuation routes and shelter huts.
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Climbing Experiences

Climbing Mount Ontake (3,067 m) is generally a signed day trek rather than a technical climb, with several popular trailheads: the Kiso side via the Ontake Ropeway (Kurosawa route), the shortest Ōtaki-guchi route, and the Ta-no-hara route to Ken-ga-mine. The trails are dotted with small shrines and pilgrim monuments reflecting the Ontake mountain-worship tradition. Since the deadly phreatic eruption of 27 September 2014 — which killed dozens of hikers on the summit — parts of the crater area have been restricted (exclusion zone), and the accessible high point is usually the Ken-ga-mine area. Hikers stress checking the volcanic-activity status (JMA warning level) and the latest restricted-area map before setting out.

References

The summary above is compiled from the following sources. Click to explore them yourself.