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Myōkō-Togakushi Renzan NP, Nagano
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In 1906, writer Iijima Kagetsu described a Togakushi rock as the heavenly stone door from the Ama-no-Iwato legend. Togakushi Shrine says he likely meant today’s Ari-no-Towatari.
At about 1,820 m, this spine narrows to around 50 cm, with cliffs dropping more than 100 m on both sides. Its hard volcanic breccia resisted erosion enough to leave a knife-thin ridge.
Ari-no-Towatari is only the first of 2 named exposed ridges on the route: next comes Ken-no-Ha-watari, or “Sword-Blade Crossing,” before Happō-nirami.
An account of Togakushi’s mountain traditions says ascetics once crossed this ridge in waraji straw sandals. The detail is passed down as tradition, not as a documented eyewitness account.
