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Hidakasanmyaku Erimo Tokachi NP, Hokkaido
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Often translated as “where a bear tumbles from a cliff,” the name was recorded by climbers through Ainu guide Buntaaro Mizumoto in 1929; later writers have questioned whether the old name truly belonged to this peak.
Hachi-no-sawa Cirque is the type locality of Hidaka azami (Cirsium hidakamontanum), a Japan-endemic thistle with large wine-red flowerheads that nod downward. It was once mistaken for another species.
Hachi-no-sawa Cirque is more than an alpine garden: plentiful food and water support bear families, while Ezo pikas—Ice Age relicts adapted to cool boulder fields—shelter among its rocks.
Dolly Varden, called oshōrokomas in Japanese, live in the mountain stream almost up to Uodome Falls—whose name literally means “Fish-Stop Falls.”
Kamui-biranji, a flower in the carnation family, was named for Kamuiekuuchikaushi. It is endemic to the Hidaka range, where 9 endemic plant species have been documented.
In July 1970, 3 of 5 Fukuoka University hikers were killed by a bear during an expedition on the mountain; rescuers later found them in Hachi-no-sawa Cirque. The tragedy remains a mountain-safety lesson.
Keio University mountaineers made the first ascent in 1928; Hokkaido University climbers made the first winter ascent in 1931. Both parties approached via Hachi-no-sawa.
