Mount Iwate

A mountain that towers over the north of Morioka City in the mid-west of Iwate Prefecture. It is 2,038 meters above sea level. It is a cone-shaped volcano, and is also called Southern Fuji or Iwate Fuji. As it is a composite volcano, its shape changes depending on the viewing position, and it is also called Southern Kata Fuji. It was an object of mountain worship, and was also called Ganju-san in the past. The mountain consists of two volcanoes, and the crater of the older Western volcano is spindle-shaped, measuring about 3 km east to west and 2 km north to south, and has Byobu-dake, Onigajo's somma and central crater cone. Eastern Iwate is a new volcano formed on the eastern slope of Western Iwate, and has fumaroles and the appearance of an active volcano. The eruption in 1719 (4th year of the Kyoho era) was distinctive, and a large amount of "Yakehashiriyoganryu" (Special Natural Monument) flowed out from the northeastern slope. The differences between old and new volcanoes, the types of alpine plants, and the transition of communities can be observed, and the "Iwate Mountain Alpine Plant Zone" has been designated as a national natural monument. It occupies the southern part of Towada-Hachimantai National Park, and is mainly volcanic in nature, with marshes, lakes, valleys, and hot springs. Matsukawa Onsen and Matsukawa Geothermal Power Plant (20,000 kilowatts) are located on the northwest foot of Iwate Mountain, while Amihari and Takinoue Onsen and Kakkonda Geothermal Power Plant (80,000 kilowatts) are located on the southwest foot. After World War II, pastureland spread on the gentle foothills as a result of development and settlement, and there is a Self-Defense Force training ground in Ipponki. There are several trailheads, including the Yanagisawa trailhead, which was opened for religious climbs, and the Amihari Onsen trailhead, which offers a complex view of the west of Iwate Mountain.

[Tadashi Kawamoto]

"Mt. Iwate Part 1" (1973, Iwate Broadcasting)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

岩手県中西部、盛岡市の北部にそびえる山。標高2038メートル。コニーデ式火山で、南部富士、岩手富士ともいう。複合火山のため眺める位置によって形が変わり、南部片富士ともよばれる。山岳信仰の対象であった山で、古くは巌鷲山(がんじゅさん)ともよばれた。山体は二つの火山からなり、古い西火山の火口は東西約3キロメートル、南北約2キロメートルの紡錘形をなし、屏風(びょうぶ)岳、鬼ヶ城の外輪山と中央火口丘がある。東岩手山は西岩手山の東斜面に形成された新しい火山で、噴気孔がみられ活火山の様相を呈している。1719年（享保4）の噴火は特徴的で、北東斜面から多量の「焼走り熔岩流(やけはしりようがんりゅう)」（特別天然記念物）を流出した。新旧火山の相違や高山植物の種類、群落の移り変わりが観察され、「岩手山高山植物帯」として国の天然記念物に指定されている。十和田八幡平(はちまんたい)国立公園の南部を占め、湿原、湖沼、渓谷、温泉など、主として火山性景観が展開。岩手山北西麓(ろく)には松川温泉、松川地熱発電所（2万キロワット）があり、南西麓には網張(あみはり)、滝ノ上(たきのうえ)温泉や葛根田(かっこんだ)地熱発電所（8万キロワット）がある。また、緩やかな山麓斜面は第二次世界大戦後は開拓入植により牧野が広がり、一本木には自衛隊演習地もある。登山口は、信仰登山のため開かれた柳沢口、西岩手山の複雑な景観を展開する網張温泉口などがある。

［川本忠平］

『『岩手山　第一部』（1973・岩手放送）』

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