Asahi Mountains - Asahisanchi

This is an uplifted mountain range made of granite located at the northern end of the Echigo Mountains, which occupies the border area between Yamagata and Niigata prefectures. It is also called the Asahi Mountain Range. It is one of Japan's snowiest mountain ranges, stretching 60 kilometers north to south and 30 kilometers east to west, with a main ridgeline that is over 1,600 meters high, stretching from the main peak, Oasahi-dake (1,871 meters), to Ito-dake (1,772 meters). The ridge is an asymmetrical ridge with a steep slope on the east side due to the influence of eastward snowfall caused by winter monsoons, and the mountainside has a rugged appearance with deep valleys formed. It is called the Alps of Tohoku and attracts many climbers. It is characterized by a primitive natural landscape with abundant alpine plant communities, virgin beech forests, and many bears and serows living there, and is part of Bandai-Asahi National Park. In the Middle Ages, it was a sacred place for Asahi Shugen.

[Shige Nakagawa]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

山形県と新潟県の県境一帯を占める越後(えちご)山脈の北端に位置する花崗(かこう)岩類からなる隆起山地。朝日連峰ともよばれる。主峰大朝日岳（1871メートル）から以東(いとう)岳（1772メートル）に続く1600メートルを超える主稜線(しゅりょうせん)を中心に、南北60キロメートル、東西30キロメートルに及ぶ日本有数の豪雪山地である。山稜は冬季季節風による偏東積雪の影響で、東側が急斜面の非対称山稜となり、山腹は深い谷が形成されて険しい山容を呈し、東北のアルプスといわれて登山客も多い。豊富な高山植物群落や、ブナの原生林が残り、クマ、カモシカの生息も多い原始的自然景観が特徴で、磐梯朝日国立公園(ばんだいあさひこくりつこうえん)の一部。中世には朝日修験(しゅげん)の霊地であった。

［中川　重］

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