Mount Haku

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other places of the same name, see Haku.

Mount Haku 白山
Mount Haku from Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture
Elevation	2,702.2 metres (8,865.5 ft)
Location	Gifu Prefecture Fukui Prefecture Ishikawa Prefecture Japan
Range	Ryōhaku Mountains
Coordinates	36°09′18″N 136°46′17″E / 36.155, 136.77139Coordinates: 36°09′18″N 136°46′17″E / 36.155, 136.77139
Topo map	Geographical Survey Institute, 25000:1 白山, 50000:1 白山
Type	Stratovolcano (active)
Age of rock	300,000–400,000 years
Last eruption	1659
First ascent	Taichō in 717
Listing	List of mountains and hills of Japan by height
Translation	White Mountain (Japanese)
Pronunciation	[hakɯsaɴ]

Mount Haku (白山, Haku-san^?), or Mount Hakusan, is a stratovolcano located on the borders of Gifu, Fukui and Ishikawa prefectures in Japan. It is thought to have first been active 300,000 to 400,000 years ago, with the most recent eruption occurring in 1659. Along with Mount Tate and Mount Fuji, it is one of Japan's "Three Holy Mountains."^[1]

1 Outline
2 History and culture
3 Nature
4 Hiking trails
5 References

[edit] Outline

The mountain's tallest peak, Gozengamine (御前峰), is the one that gives the mountain its height of 2,702 m (8,865 ft). Along with Kengamine (剣ヶ峰), which is 2,677 m (8,783 ft), and Ōnanjimine (大汝峰), which is 2,648 m (8,688 ft), the three peaks are considered "Mount Haku's Three Peaks" (白山三峰 Hakusan Sanmine). Mount Bessan (別山 Bessan) and Sannomine (三の峰) are sometimes included and called "Mount Haku's Five Peaks."

Because it is the highest mountain in the Hokuriku region, even after the surrounding mountains have lost their snow, Mount Haku still appears white, which is one explanation for the mountain's name, which means "white mountain." It is also the westernmost mountain in Japan that is over 2,000 m (6,562 ft) in height.

[edit] History and culture

Taichō (泰澄, 682–April 20, 767) was the first to climb Mount Haku in 717. For hundreds of years, people have come to Haku for prayers (白山信仰 Hakusan Shinkō). A branch shrine of Shirayama Hime Shrine (白山比咩神社 Shirayama Hime Jinja), which served as the supreme shrine for Kaga Province, is on the mountain. The Shirayama Hime Shrine is the main shrine (総本社, sō-honsha^?) of approximately 2,000 Hakusan shrines (白山神社, Hakusan jinja^?) in Japan.

[edit] Nature

Mount Haku was designated as a quasi-national park in 1955. It became a national park in 1962^[1] and was renamed Hakusan National Park. Because the central part of the mountain has much precipitous terrain, there are very few roads and, as a result, little human intrusion into the area. Also limiting human intrusion is the designation of the park as a Wildlife Protection Area, covering over 38,061 ha. The park stretches beyond the mountain's borders into Toyama Prefecture, too.^[1]

[edit] Geological features

The area surrounding Mount Haku is one of the few areas in Japan that contains outcroppings from the Jurassic period of the Mesozoic era. Many of Japan's typical examples of dinosaur fossils were found in this area. One of the major rock outcrops is in the Kuwashima area and is known as the "Kuwashima Fossil Wall" (桑島化石壁 Kuwashima Kasekikabe).

Because the mountain is an active volcano, it is also well-known for its many onsen.

[edit] Plant life

Mount Haku is known for its diverse plant life. When hiking up the Sabō Trail, after passing the Jinnosuke Lodge, various types of alpine plants can be found, including the chocolate lily, which is Ishikawa's prefectural plant.

[edit] Animals

The Golden Eagle, Ishikawa's prefectural bird, lives on the slopes of Mount Haku. The Rock Ptarmigan, Gifu's prefectural bird,^[2] used to live on the slopes as well; however, during the Meiji period, the entire population of Ptarmigan on the mountain disappeared (the bird is still abundant elsewhere in Japan).

[edit] Hiking trails

The three most used hiking trails are the Kankō Trail (観光新道 Kankō Shinmichi), the Sabō Trail (砂防新道 Sabō Shinmichi) and the Hirase Trail (平瀬道 Hirase-dō). Both the Kankō Trail and the Sabō trail originate in the city of Hakusan, Ishikawa Prefecture, but the Hirase Trail starts from the Ōshirakawa Dam (大白川ダム) in Gifu Prefecture.

Because the area is protected as a national park, very few trails have been made on the mountain. Though the trails listed above are easy enough to hike up and down in one day, other trails can take two or three days because of the uncleared trails and rough terrain.