Bitter dragons
May 25, 2008 | Filed Under Hyakumeizan, Japan, Inspiration
At 4a.m. the rain was still pounding like a canon on the roof of Kijitei, the restaurant owned by Yuka’s parents, which nestles in the verdant foothills outside Chichibu. The grey dawn filtered through the paper screens, while the frogs sang in their damp delight outside. I’d planned a fast, light climb up Mt. Ryogami this morning. But the thought of knee-high mud, cold water trickling down my neck, and probably no view at the top had me crawl back under the warm futon instead. There would be other days.
Mt. Ryogami’s black, jagged teeth jut defiantly against the skyline to the west of Chichibu city. These mountains hold gold and other metals; some of the nation’s first-known coinage was found in these parts, and there were commercial mines here until recently. There are hidden villages too, huddled half way up the valleys. One is rumoured to comprise the the direct descendants of the defeated Heike clan, who fled to the hills when the forces of the Minamoto routed them after the battles of the 12th century. The heirlooms of more than one homestead are scraps of faded cloth, said to be the remnants of battle standards and armour over eight hundred years old. The women still filed and blackened their teeth in the manner of the medieval Japanese court until the middle of last century. Life does not change quickly here.
The present name for Mt. Ryogami comprises two characters, “both/two” and “god(s)”, and so it is said to be named for the ancient deities Izanagi and Izanami. But as Fukada points out in his Nihon-Hyakumeizan, there is nothing to suggest a duel or twin nature to the mountain, no double peak or other characteristic. Instead he takes us through the history of its various appellations. Formerly it appears to have been known as Mt. Yokami (eight-day-visible-mountain). Further research suggests that originally the mountain was known as Mt. Ya-okami (eight-headed-dragon mountain), which makes far greater sense. Its serrated edge on a fine day is clearly the spine of some mighty serpent, and on the map one can just trace the eight heads leading from its peak, much as one can trace the five heads of the dragon which lead from Mt. Goryu (five-headed-dragon-mountain) in nearby Nagano.
The rain clears by mid-afternoon, and my mother-in-law continues with my instruction in the tea ceremony. Just as the mountains of Chichibu have shaped and formed the attitudes of this outpost of Tokyo, so the tea ceremony has shaped Japan’s cultural and psychological vocabulary. To be bad or unskilled at something in Japanese is to be “nigate“, literally “bitter-handed”, a word originally describing a tea ceremony neophyte whose concoctions were tanic and undrinkable. We whisk the powdered tea as the late afternoon sun streams through the windows and catches the magnificent ramparts of Mt. Buko, the symbol of Chichibu so cruelly devastated by the excavations of the Onoda Cement Company. Further off Mt. Ryogami is no doubt enjoying a magnificent sunset too. My father-in-law bravely offers to try my first attempt, and brings a cup to his lips.
“Nigate!”
I’m going to stick to climbing mountains.
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13 Responses to “Bitter dragons”
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Tea Ceremony vs. Hiking? A tough choice, especially after the torrential rain! Mt. Ryokami is no fun in wet weather, as the rocks become quite slippery and the one section with chains is challenging even in the driest of conditions. If you plan another attempt, then be on the lookout for Kamoshika around the start of the hike.
Once again, your photos are superb and writing style beautiful! It’s always a joy to visit your blog.
Onoda Cement Company has not only desecrated Mt. Buko and what used to be fine views for the people of Chichibu, but also seems to have covered the town in cement dust. Does the company own the entire mountain? Do your parents-in-law express any views about the razing of the mountain?
(For any reader who has not seen this mountain in the flesh, try entering 武甲山 in Google Images.)
Wes: I’ll definitely keep my eyes (ears?) peeled for the Kamoshika. Last time I went to Ryogami the only wildlife I saw was a rather large snake sunning itself in the middle of the path..
Melanie: You’re too kind. But I’m not complaining
Julian: I believe they held the mineral rights to most of the Yokoze-side of the mountain, although I’ve noticed recently that many of the quarries now appear to be abandoned. Back in ‘94 Onoda Cement (now Taiheiyo Cement) acquired the original desecrater, Chichibu Cement; maybe hard times have forced them to mothball the operation, or maybe they’ve hit the limits of what they can profitably extract.
Nobody talks about it much though. My wife mutters darkly about them “not knowing what they have done”. If you want a real shock, use Google Earth to fly over the mountain, or what’s left of it. I hate looking at the old pictures of Buko, it was so beautiful.
wow, I had no idea about Mt. Buko. Despite the environmental destruction, has anyone climbed to the top? It’s one of the 200 Famous Mountains, and the trail looks pretty steep, with a 1000m elevation gain. Perhaps winter will show its hidden beauty?
I went to the top of Mt. Buko a few years ago. It’s actually an easy climb up, although made somewhat more challenging by the presence of my father-in-law’s shotgun, which he would periodically swing round to take shots at anything that flapped in the undergrowth..
It gets some snow around February time, and there is a small shrine at the top with great views of the Chichibu plain and beyond (just don’t get too close to the edge and tumble into the quarries below). I think though a really memorable way to do it would be to climb up on the afternoon of the 3rd December, and stay at the top to watch the Chichibu Night Festival and the fireworks from above. Last year I saw torchlights on the peak during the festival, so it’s definitely feasible. But it will be cold!
great photos, love them!
Chris, enough is enough. Did you come back from your last mountain alive? LONG time between posts, my friend.
Hi MG - I’m still alive, some days more than others. It’s just a bad combination of abominable financial markets and rainy season that’s kept me out of the mountains (OK, and some time-out in Hawaii). But I appreciate the concern.
I’m thinking about a new project too: film. If I can get over hearing the sound of my own voice on tape, then I’d quite like to drag a cheap camcorder along with me on my next few trips. Put it down to too much time spent watching “Survivorman” episodes…
It’s been too long since I dropped by. What an amazing array of images and great words to get lost in. And about the same Japan that I love, too! I didn’t know that about Buko-san, though so many of the mountains around Tokyo have that threadbare, too-many-shoes-trampling-the-carpet look. Especially out in Chichibu and Tanzawa.
Been hard to get out to the mountains lately with all the torrential rains…
By the way, what kind of camera do you use? Do you go the DSLR route or carry a digicam? From the photo of the coins I have the inkling that you might use a digicam. I keep waffling between my Nikon D70 or buying a digicam, which would be so much lighter on the mountain walks! I’m thinking that the Ricoh GX200 might be a good compromise. Any thoughts?
Hey Butuki, good to have you drop by! I can’t wait for rainy season to end this year, I need to get back into the mountains as soon as possible..
I’m using a DSLR - I’ve got a D80 with a Nikor 18-200 lens. I bumped up the saturation on the coins photo, so that probably accounts for the digicam look. At least, I hope that’s what it is!
You’re right about the weight though. The D80 with that lens is an even 1.1 kg. Is is strictly necessary? No. But I would feel rather sad to leave my weighty friend behind, we know each other too well now.
Nice capture. Visited and commented on your flickr page too. In the next couple days when I add a blogroll to my page, will make sure to include your link.
Hi Kirt - thanks for coming by, you’re likewise on my list too - you’ve got some beautiful shots on your Flickr page, especially the waterfalls in Hakone!