Iide Mountains - Iidesanchi

A mountain range that spans three prefectures: Niigata, Fukushima, and Yamagata. Centered on the main peak, Mt. Iide (2,105 meters), it is divided into many branches, such as the central ridge of Mt. Mikuni (1,644 meters) and Mt. Onishi (2,012 meters), the Dainichi (2,128 meters) mountain range, Mt. Nioji (1,420 meters), and the Eburi-sashi (1,636 meters) mountain range. It is a deep mountain that boasts a magnificent Tohoku-style mountain beauty, and the mountain body is composed of granite that intruded into the Chichibu Paleogene Strata of the Echigo Mountain Range. The summit has a steep mountain shape due to late-adult erosion, and until World War II, it was said to be a dangerous mountain for cutting through the bush, even among professional climbers. The upper reaches of the Kaji River on the western foot of the mountain and the upper reaches of the Oishi River in Sekikawa Village, Niigata Prefecture, on the northern foot of the mountain, have long been developed from mineral veins contained in quartz trachyte and granite, and the famous mines were the iron sulfide ore at the Akatani Mine and the gold, silver and copper mine at the Onuma Mine, but most of the mines are now closed. After the war, when the area was designated as Bandai-Asahi National Park, the development of mountain trails progressed rapidly, and five mountain trails are now available, including the Akataniguchi trail that ascends the Iide River valley from Akatani, the Tainaiguchi trail that goes up the Tainai River valley, the Sanekawaguchi trail in the Sanekawa Valley in Kanose, Aga Town, Niigata Prefecture, the Oishiguchi trail that ascends the Oishi River valley in Sekikawa Village, and the Tamagawaguchi trail that ascends from the Oguni Basin in Yamagata Prefecture. The entire mountain is covered in primeval beech forest and is famous as a habitat for many wild animals, including chamois, bears, monkeys, and squirrels.

[Hisao Yamazaki]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

新潟、福島、山形の3県にまたがる山地。主峰飯豊山（2105メートル）を中心に、三国(みくに)岳（1644メートル）、御西(おにし)岳（2012メートル）などの中心尾根筋から、大日(だいにち)岳（2128メートル）連峰、二王子(におうじ)岳（1420メートル）、杁差(えぶりさし)岳（1636メートル）連峰など多くの支脈に分かれている。雄大な東北的山岳美を誇る深山で、山体は越後(えちご)山系の秩父古成層(ちちぶこせいそう)に貫入した花崗(かこう)岩類から構成され、山頂部は晩壮年期的侵食を受けて険峻(けんしゅん)な山容を呈し、第二次世界大戦前までは専門の登山家の間でも藪(やぶ)こぎの危険な山といわれていた。西麓(せいろく)の加治(かじ)川上流や、北麓の新潟県関川(せきかわ)村大石川の上流には、石英粗面岩や花崗岩に含まれた鉱脈が古くから開発され、赤谷鉱山(あかたにこうざん)の硫化鉄鉱、大沼鉱山の金銀銅などが有名であったが、いまはほとんど休鉱になっている。戦後、磐梯朝日国立公園(ばんだいあさひこくりつこうえん)に指定されてからは、急激に登山道の開発が進み、赤谷から飯豊川の谷を登る赤谷口、胎内(たいない)川の谷をさかのぼる胎内口、新潟県阿賀(あが)町鹿瀬(かのせ)の実川(さねかわ)谷の実川口、関川村の大石川の谷を登る大石口、山形県の小国(おぐに)盆地から登る玉川(たまがわ)口など五つの登山道がある。全山ブナの原生林に覆われ、カモシカ、クマ、サル、リスなどの野生動物の多生息地としても有名。

［山崎久雄］

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