GUNUNG · Jepang

Mount Tsurugi

剱岳 (Tsurugi-dake)

Gunung Tsurugi-dake dilihat dari sisi selatan (Wikimedia Commons). Photo: source

Information

Elevation: 2.999 m
Country: Jepang (JP)
Location / Range: Pegunungan Hida (飛騨山脈) / Alpen Utara Jepang, sekitar Tateyama, Prefektur Toyama
Mountain type: Gunung non-vulkanik — puncak batuan granit/diorit terjal dengan glasir sisa (Pegunungan Hida / Alpen Utara Jepang)
Volcanic?: No (non-volcanic)
Coordinates: 36.6233, 137.6172
Difficulty: Sangat sulit untuk kelas jalur pendakian umum — sering disebut jalur pendakian gunung tersulit di antara 100 Gunung Terkenal Jepang. Rute Bessan menuntut memanjat tebing berbatu vertikal berpengaman rantai dan tangga besi (Kani no Tatebai & Kani no Yokobai); helm wajib.
Best Season: Pertengahan Juli–awal Oktober (musim bebas salju). Sisa salju di ngarai bisa bertahan hingga awal musim panas; pondok gunung buka musim panas–awal gugur.
Permits & Rules: Tidak perlu izin khusus, namun pendaki wajib mengisi formulir rencana pendakian (tozan-todoke). Akses paling umum lewat Tateyama: kereta ke Stasiun Tateyama → Tateyama Cable Car → bus ke Murodo, lalu berjalan ke pondok Tsurugisawa/Kenzansō untuk bermalam sebelum menyerang puncak.
Hazards: Tebing vertikal dengan paparan tinggi (exposure), jatuh di seksi rantai Kani no Tatebai/Yokobai, batu lepas (rockfall), sisa salju keras di ngarai, kabut dan cuaca alpin berubah cepat, kepadatan antrean di seksi rantai saat musim ramai. Gunung ini termasuk yang paling banyak memakan korban di Alpen Jepang.

Description

Mount Tsurugi, or Tsurugi-dake (剱岳, 2,999 m), is one of the most challenging and revered peaks in the Northern Japan Alps, rising in the Hida Mountains of eastern Toyama Prefecture beside the Tateyama massif. Its name means 'sword mountain', after its sharp summit silhouette, its steep granite-diorite walls and its gullies that still hold small glaciers — among the few recognised glaciers in Japan. Of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains (Nihon Hyakumeizan), Tsurugi-dake is widely regarded as the hardest to climb by a general hiking route. The classic Bessan ridge (Bessan-o'ne) route passes two legendary chain sections: Kani no Tatebai (the 'vertical crab crawl'), a near-vertical face climbed straight up on chains, and Kani no Yokobai (the 'horizontal crab crawl'), a sideways traverse across an almost sheer rock wall fitted with chains and ladders — sections that demand a cool head, with helmets required. Long thought unclimbed, the summit was in fact reached by mountain ascetics centuries earlier: a Nara–Heian-era iron staff and spearhead were found there, a story immortalised in the novel and film 'Tsurugidake: Ten no Ki' (The Summit of the Gods / Point of No Return). Most climbers take a two-day trip via Murodo–Tateyama, overnighting at the Tsurugisawa or Kenzansō huts before a pre-dawn summit push.

Gallery

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

Routes

Jalur Bessan (別山尾根) via Murodo–Tsurugisawa — rute baku

Sangat sulit untuk jalur pendakian umum — memanjat tebing berpengaman rantai & tangga besi (Kani no Tatebai & Kani no Yokobai); helm wajib, paparan tinggi

Program 2 hari: Hari 1 Murodo → pondok Tsurugisawa/Kenzansō ±3 jam 45 menit; Hari 2 pondok → puncak ±2,5 jam (PP puncak ±5–6 jam)

The standard and most popular route to the Tsurugi-dake summit. From Tateyama Murodo (about 2,450 m) hikers walk past Mikuriga-ike pond to Bessan Pass, site of the Tsurugi-gozen-goya hut (~2 h 50 min), then descend to the Tsurugisawa-goya hut to overnight (Day 1 total ~3 h 45 min). Day two starts before dawn, following the increasingly steep Bessan ridge to the two legendary chain sections — Kani no Tatebai, a near-vertical face climbed straight up on chains, and Kani no Yokobai, a sideways traverse across a steep rock wall fitted with chains and iron ladders. From the hut to the 2,999 m summit takes about 2.5 hours. The route demands experience with chains, a cool head and a helmet; it is among the hardest general hiking trails in Japan.

Source

Jalur Hayatsuki (早月尾根) dari Bamba-jima — rute panjang & menantang

Berat–Sangat sulit (non-teknis di sebagian besar, tetapi sangat panjang dan curam; bagian atas bertemu seksi berbatu berpengaman)

Umumnya 2 hari; pendakian panjang dengan beda tinggi sangat besar dari pangkal ±760 m ke puncak 2.999 m

An alternative from the lower Toyama side, starting at Bamba-jima (馬場島, about 760 m). The Hayatsuki ridge is one of the biggest continuous ascents in Japan — climbing over 2,200 m along a forested then open rock ridge before joining the Bessan route near the summit. It is usually done over two days with a night at the Hayatsuki-goya hut. Far quieter and far more demanding on stamina than the Bessan route via Murodo, it is a favourite of experienced climbers seeking a true 'valley-floor to summit' challenge without any cable-car assistance.

Source

Climbing Experiences

Climbing Tsurugi-dake (2,999 m) is considered one of the hardest general hiking-trail challenges in Japan. Almost all climbers take a two-day trip via Murodo–Tateyama, overnighting at the Tsurugisawa or Kenzansō huts before a pre-dawn summit push along the Bessan ridge. The highlight and the source of the tension are two legendary chain sections: Kani no Tatebai (the vertical crab crawl) and Kani no Yokobai (the horizontal crab crawl) — near-vertical faces fitted with chains and iron ladders and serious exposure. The vlogs and reports below capture a range of experiences: from a 4K summer ascent and the tension on the chains, to sunrise views and lingering glaciers from the summit of this 'sword mountain'.

References

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