The 23 Peaks of Mt. Norikura
(Please note that some areas are off-limits to visitors.)
1. Mt. Jukkoku (or Mt. Jikkoku) – 2,524 m
This is the oldest peak in the Norikura volcanic group. Its name means “ten koku,” a koku being a traditional measurement for the amount of rice a person eats in one year.
2. Mt. Ōkue (or Mt. Ōkuzure) – 2,523 m
“Ōkue” is written with the characters meaning “great collapse”—a reference to the mountain’s erosion and frequent rockfalls.
3. Mt. Neko – 2,581 m
Meaning “cat peak,” this mountain’s name comes from the shape of a boulder said to resemble a cat standing on the mountainside.
4. Mt. Iō – 2,554 m
The mountain is so called because it smells of iō, sulfur.
5. Mt. Yotsu – 2,744 m
The original name of Mt. Yotsu was Mt. Anba, meaning “peaceful place.” However, the mountain’s four peaks gave rise to the alternate name yotsu, meaning “four,” and the nickname became official.
6. Mt. Eboshi – 2,692 m
This peak resembles the pointed hat (eboshi) worn by male court nobles in the Heian period (794–1185).
7. Mt. Ōnyū – 2,698 m
The mountain ascetic and sculptor Enkū (1632–1695) is said to have appeased a monster (yōkai) here and banished it to nearby Mt. Maō.
8. Mt. Daikoku – 2,772 m
This peak shares a name with Daikokuten, one of the Seven Lucky Gods (Shichifukujin). Associated with wealth and prosperity, Daikokuten is considered a patron to merchants, farmers, and cooks.
9. Mt. Ebisu – 2,831 m
Ebisu is another of the Seven Lucky Gods known for bringing prosperity, particularly to fishermen. Within the mountain’s volcanic crater lies Kame Pond.
10. Mt. Maō – 2,763 m
In 1942, the Japanese Imperial Army gave this peak its forbidding name, which means “mountain of the demon king.” The army was secretly developing airplane engines on the mountain’s slopes and wished to deter curious visitors.
11. Mt. Fujimi – 2,817 m
This peak’s name refers to the view from its summit. Looking southeast on a clear day, one can see the highest point of Mt. Fuji peeking from behind the slopes of the southern Alps.
12. Mt. Satomi – 2,824 m
This name means “village view,” and refers to the communities visible to the northwest.
13. Mt. Fudō – 2,875 m
Once a favorite destination for rock climbers, its loose rock surface is now considered too dangerous to scale. Fudō Rock at the peak stands almost vertical—an unusual geological formation.
14. Mt. Marishiten – 2,873 m
Like several peaks in the area, this mountain was reportedly named by Enkū when he founded a temple on its summit. Today, the mountain is the site of the Norikura Solar Observatory.
15. Mt. Setsuzan (or Mt. Yukiyama) – 2,890 m
Legend has it that the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, visited here in ancient times.
16. Mt. Asahi – 2,975 m
Wandering ascetic and master carver Mokujiki (1718–1810)—whose name means, appropriately, “eating wood”—practiced Buddhist austerities here.
17. Mt. Kodama – 2,979 m
This peak was named for Kodama, the guardian deity of silkworms, whose worship continues even today in cities like Okaya, Nagano. The surface of Mt. Kodama is covered in sandy gravel that resembles grains of rice or beans.
18. Mt. Mikumari – 2,896 m
“Mikumari” is an unusual reading of the characters for “moisture.” The peak was named for a water deity said to have once inhabited the mountain. Mt. Mikumari is also part of the drainage divide that separates waterways running to the Sea of Japan from waterways that empty into the Pacific Ocean.
19. Mt. Kengamine – 3,026 m
This is Mt. Norikura’s highest peak, also known as Mt. Gongen. Near its summit are two shrines: Norikura Hongū Shrine, facing west, and Asahi Gongen Shrine, facing east.
20. Mt. Dainichi – 3,014 m
Dainichi is the second-highest peak on Mt. Norikura. Just below the summit is a small cave called the Heavenly Rock Hut (Ama no Iwaya), where Mokujiki is said to have practiced austerities.
21. Mt. Yakushi – 2,950 m
Yakushi Nyorai is the Buddha of Medicine and Healing. In statues he is often depicted holding a pot of magical ointment.
22. Mt. Byōbu – 2,968 m
A byōbu is a folding screen used in traditional Japanese interiors. This peak is named for the vertical cliff wall near its summit that resembles such a screen.
23. Mt. Takamagahara – 2,829 m
Located southeast of Mt. Kengamine, this peak is closed to visitors for environmental protection.
=========
The 7 Ponds of Mt. Norikura
(Please note that some areas are off-limits to visitors.)
1. Gongen Pond
The second-highest pond in Japan, Gongen is also called Magari (“Curved”) Pond for its resemblance to the comma-shaped ceremonial beads called magatama.
2. Kame Pond
Kame means “turtle.” This pond was named following the discovery of “patterned ground,” a geological formation where repeated freezing and thawing shapes the soil into hexagons that resemble the pattern on turtle shells.
3. Tsuru Pond
Sediment cascading down from Mt. Daikoku shaped this pond to look like the curved body of a crane (tsuru).
4. Kiezu Pond
Snow blown in on the harsh north wind collects in this glacial pond, lingering even in summer and giving it the name kiezu (“never vanishing”). The pond is off-limits to visitors, as it supplies essential drinking water to facilities on Mt. Norikura.
5. Gonoike Pond
Go no ike means “five ponds,” and the name is accurate—except in times of heavy rain, when the five merge into one.
6. Ōnyū Pond
Legend has it that Enkū submerged 1,000 buddha statues in the pond as an offering to appease a giant serpent and ward off disasters.
7. Tsuchidoyo Pond
Lava flowing from the western side of Mt. Eboshi created a natural dam that trapped water and formed this pond.