, or Mount Hakusan (commonly referred to as simply Hakusan), is a dormant
stratovolcano
A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a conical volcano built up by many layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with a summit crater and per ...
in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. It is located on the borders of
Gifu
is a city located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country. During the Sengoku ...
and
Ishikawa, on the island of
Honshu
, historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island separ ...
. Mount Haku 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
, or Fugaku, located on the island of Honshū, is the highest mountain in Japan, with a summit elevation of . It is the second-highest volcano located on an island in Asia (after Mount Kerinci on the island of Sumatra), and seventh-highest p ...
, it is one of Japan's .
Outline
The mountain's tallest peak, Gozenga-mine (御前峰), is the one that gives the mountain its height of . Along with Ken-ga-mine (剣ヶ峰), which is , and Ōnanji-mine (大汝峰), which is , the three peaks are considered "Mount Haku's Three Peaks" (白山三峰 ''Hakusan San-mine'').
Mount Bessan
is located on the border of Gujō, Gifu Prefecture, and Hakusan, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, and rises to a height of . There are two triangulation stations at the top of the mountain. Mount Haku can be seen from the north. Bessan Shrine (別 ...
and
Mount Sannomine are sometimes included and called "Mount Haku's Five Peaks" (白山五峰 ''Hakusan go-mine'').
Because it is very prominent and clearly visible from the nearby coast, 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 in height.
History and culture
Taichō
was a shugendō monk in Nara period Japan. He was raised in Echizen Province, which was in the southern portion of present-day Fukui Prefecture. He was the second son of Mikami Yasuzumi (三神安角). He is said to be the first person to reach ...
, a mountain
Shugendo monk, first climbed Mount Hakusan 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, which served as the
supreme shrine for
Kaga Province, is on the mountain. The Shirayama Hime Shrine is the of approximately 2,000 in Japan. In 1980 an area of 48,000
ha was designated a
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
Man and the Biosphere Reserve.
Nature
Mount Haku was designated as a
quasi-national park
and in Japan are places of scenic beauty designated for protection and sustainable usage by the Minister of the Environment under the of 1957. National Parks are designated and in principle managed by the Ministry of the Environment. Quasi-Na ...
in 1955. It became a
national park
A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...
in 1962
[UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Information: Mount Hakusan](_blank)
UNESCO. Accessed May 16, 2008. and was renamed
Hakusan National Park
is a national park in the Chūbu region of Honshū, Japan. Established in 1962, it spans the borders of Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, and Toyama prefectures. Its main geographical feature is Mount Haku. In 1980 an area of 480 km² corresponding to ...
. 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
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Toyama Prefecture has a population of 1,044,588 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,247.61 km2 (1,640.01 sq mi). Toyama Prefecture borders Ishikawa Prefecture to the ...
.
Geological features
The area surrounding Mount Haku is one of the few in Japan that contains
outcroppings from the
Jurassic
The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The J ...
period of the
Mesozoic
The Mesozoic Era ( ), also called the Age of Reptiles, the Age of Conifers, and colloquially as the Age of the Dinosaurs is the second-to-last era of Earth's geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceo ...
era. Many of Japan's typical examples of
dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...
fossil
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
s 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 a dormant volcano, it is well known for its many
onsen
In Japan, are the country's hot springs and the bathing facilities and traditional inns around them. As a volcanically active country, Japan has many onsens scattered throughout all of its major islands. There are approximately 25,000 hot ...
.
Flora
Mount Haku is known for its diverse plant life. Along the Sabō Trail, after passing the Jinnosuke Lodge,
alpine plant
Alpine plants are plants that grow in an alpine climate, which occurs at high elevation and above the tree line. There are many different plant species and taxa that grow as a plant community in these alpine tundra. These include perennial grasses, ...
s are found, including the
chocolate lily Chocolate lily refers to any of a number of flowering plant species:
* ''Dichopogon strictus'' (syn. ''Arthropodium strictum''), whose flowers smell of chocolate
* ''Fritillaria affinis'', also called rice-root or checker lily, from western North A ...
, which is Ishikawa's prefectural plant.
There are many alpine plants which have ''Hakusan'' in their name. These include
Primula cuneifolia (''Hakusan Kozakura''),
Anemone narcissiflora
''Anemonastrum narcissiflorum'', the narcissus anemone or narcissus-flowered anemone, is a herbaceous perennial in the genus ''Anemonastrum'' and the buttercup family. Basionym: ''Anemone narcissiflora'' Hook. & Arn.
Description
Plants grow ...
(''Hakusan Ichige''),
Dactylorhiza
''Dactylorhiza'' is a genus of flowering plants in the orchid family Orchidaceae. Its species are commonly called marsh orchids or spotted orchids. ''Dactylorhiza'' were previously classified under ''Orchis'', which has two round tubers.
Descrip ...
(''Hakusan Chidori''),
Geranium yesoemse (''Hakusan Fuuro'') and
Rhododendron brachycarpum (''Hakusan Shakunage''). These plants can be found on many mountains throughout Japan, but they were first discovered and named along the older hiking trails leading to Hakusan Shrine.
Fauna
The
golden eagle
The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of p ...
, Ishikawa's prefectural bird, lives on the slopes of Mount Haku. The
rock ptarmigan
The rock ptarmigan (''Lagopus muta'') is a medium-sized game bird in the grouse family. It is known simply as the ptarmigan in the UK. It is the official bird for the Canadian territory of Nunavut, where it is known as the ''aqiggiq'' (ᐊᕿ ...
, Gifu's prefectural bird,
[A Statistical Guide to Gifu Prefecture 2007](_blank)
. Gifu Prefecture. Accessed May 16, 2008. used to live on the slopes as well. During the
Meiji period
The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912.
The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...
, the entire population of ptarmigan on the mountain disappeared; however, sightings of the
grouse have recently been recorded by local residents.
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.
Gallery
File:Mount Haku Top Gozengamine 2004-10-17.JPG, Top of Gozengamine (Mount Haku) and Ōnanjimine
File:Hakusan Shrine in Murodo 2008-7-1.jpg, Hakusan Shrine
A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy sacred space, space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor worship, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, Daemon (mythology), daem ...
at Murodo and Gozengamine
File:Pond Midorigaike 2008-10-2.jpg, Volcanic crater (Midoriga-ike)
File:12 changes of Oonanjimine from top of Hakusan with title.jpg, Mount Haku in each season
File:Hakusan01.JPG, Mount Haku from Midagahara
File:Hakusan08.JPG, Kengamine Peak from Gozengamine Peak
File:Bessan and Hakusan from Hideridake 2009-4-7.jpg, Mount Haku from east of Mount Hideri
File:Mount Bessan from Mount Haku 2001-11-7.jpg, Mount Bessan
is located on the border of Gujō, Gifu Prefecture, and Hakusan, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, and rises to a height of . There are two triangulation stations at the top of the mountain. Mount Haku can be seen from the north. Bessan Shrine (別 ...
from the top of Gozengamine
See also
*
Hakusan National Park
is a national park in the Chūbu region of Honshū, Japan. Established in 1962, it spans the borders of Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, and Toyama prefectures. Its main geographical feature is Mount Haku. In 1980 an area of 480 km² corresponding to ...
*
Ryōhaku Mountains
*
List of volcanoes in Japan
*
List of mountains in Japan
The following is a list of the mountains and hills of Japan, ordered by height.
Mountains over 1000 meters
Mountains under 1000 meters
As the generally accepted definition of a mountain (versus a hill) is 1000 m of height and 500 m of prom ...
*
Taichō
was a shugendō monk in Nara period Japan. He was raised in Echizen Province, which was in the southern portion of present-day Fukui Prefecture. He was the second son of Mikami Yasuzumi (三神安角). He is said to be the first person to reach ...
References
External links
Hakusan- Japan Meteorological Agency
* - Japan Meteorological Agency
- Geological Survey of Japan
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haku, Mount
Volcanoes of Honshū
Mountains of Gifu Prefecture
Mountains of Ishikawa Prefecture
Mountains of Fukui Prefecture
Two-thousanders of Asia
Biosphere reserves of Japan
Cultural Landscapes of Japan
Volcanoes of Gifu Prefecture
Volcanoes of Ishikawa Prefecture
Volcanoes of Fukui Prefecture
Potentially active volcanoes
Pleistocene stratovolcanoes
Pleistocene Asia
Cenozoic Japan
Sacred mountains
Sacred mountains of Japan
Shugendō
Highest points of Japanese national parks