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"Climb Mt. Niitaka!" (Niitaka yama nobore) is best known as the Japanese code signal for the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Years earlier, though, it was also the rallying cry of the Waseda U. Alpine Club, which in 1937 sent a party to Taiwan to ascend "the empire's tallest peak." 1/
Years earlier, though, it was also the rallying cry of the Waseda U. Alpine Club, which in 1937 sent a party to Taiwan to ascend "the empire's tallest peak." 1/
For mountain enthusiasts, Japan's annexation of Taiwan in 1895 posed an awkward problem: Mt. Fuji, the iconic alpine feature of Japan, was no longer the tallest in the empire.
That title now belonged to Yu Shan, which, surveys revealed, was 176 m taller than Fuji. 2/
That title now belonged to Yu Shan, which, surveys revealed, was 176 m taller than Fuji. 2/
And so in 1897 a new name was bestowed (by the Meiji Emperor, no less) on the peak -- Niitakayama, "New High Mountain."
To the essayist and landscape theorist Shiga Shigetaka, however, it was simply "the Fuji of Taiwan." 3/
To the essayist and landscape theorist Shiga Shigetaka, however, it was simply "the Fuji of Taiwan." 3/
While evidence suggests that the Bunun and Tsou aboriginal communities had been scaling the mountain for ages, the Japanese anthropologists Torii Ryūzō (pic below) and Ushinosuke Mori were the first to officially record a first ascent in 1900. 4/
Thereafter, the peak occupied a prominent place in the alpine imagination of the Japanese people.
The nascent eco-tourism industry propelled many from Japan to climb the peak (or stay at lodges near its base).
See, e.g., Kate McDonal's Placing Empire
https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520293915/placing-empire
The nascent eco-tourism industry propelled many from Japan to climb the peak (or stay at lodges near its base).
See, e.g., Kate McDonal's Placing Empire
https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520293915/placing-empire
In 1919, the first trail to the summit was opened to the public, which also enjoyed access to a growing corpus of topo maps.
By the 1930s, young women and school troops were climbing the peak as part of their coming-of-age graduation trips.
(Below is a US reproduction) 6/
By the 1930s, young women and school troops were climbing the peak as part of their coming-of-age graduation trips.
(Below is a US reproduction) 6/
The mountain nevertheless remained a space of stalwart resistance to colonial rule.
Deadly clashes between Bunun communities and Japanese police/lumber crews are recorded in 1932, 34, and 41.
On this "alpine demimonde," see Paul Barclay 7/
https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520296213/outcasts-of-empire 7/
Deadly clashes between Bunun communities and Japanese police/lumber crews are recorded in 1932, 34, and 41.
On this "alpine demimonde," see Paul Barclay 7/
https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520296213/outcasts-of-empire 7/
In Korea, meanwhile, Mt. Kumgang similarly became the alpine playground of the peninsula.
While the true "test piece" of Korea was a winter ascent of Mt Paekdu, a veritable eco-tourism industry took root around Kumgang, which drew crowds from as far as the US
While the true "test piece" of Korea was a winter ascent of Mt Paekdu, a veritable eco-tourism industry took root around Kumgang, which drew crowds from as far as the US
I touch on the intersection of colonial expansion and mountaineering in Seeds of Control, but hope to make this part of a larger project moving forward.
Early Japanese expeditions to the Himalaya are another topic begging for further investigation. https://uwapress.uw.edu/book/9780295747453/seeds-of-control/
Early Japanese expeditions to the Himalaya are another topic begging for further investigation. https://uwapress.uw.edu/book/9780295747453/seeds-of-control/
