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Chichibu-Tama-Kai NP, Yamanashi
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Unlike lava spires, Mizugaki’s towers are granite: a 2021 drone-mapping study found curved columnar joints shaping pillars up to 70 m tall—an unusual structure in granite.
“Mizugaki” means a shrine’s sacred fence. Edo-period records wrote the name 瑞壘 or 瑞籬; the present 瑞牆 spelling is attributed to Yamanashi governor Chiyosaburō Takeda in 1905.
Alpinist Oshima Ryokichi saw Mizugaki’s climbing potential in 1926; modern routes began with O-yasuri-iwa’s first ascent in 1970. In 1981, the free-climbed “Haru Urara” pitch (5.11b) marked a new era.
A climber couple fell for Mizugaki and moved to nearby Kuromori. At their foothill eatery, local vegetables, gathered mountain greens and mushrooms share the menu with hamburgers made from 100% venison.
At Kanmanboron, about 10 hollows form a line reaching roughly 7 m high. Yamanashi Prefecture records the local tradition that Shugendō practitioners carved Sanskrit characters there; the marks are now too weathered to read.
Mizugaki’s climbing landscape extends into the forest below its towers, where 3–5 m granite boulders are scattered among the trees. Many have natural holes called “pockets,” giving climbers useful grips.
The quieter approach from Mizugaki Nature Park passes broad clusters of Azuma rhododendrons, with blossoms lining the climb toward the summit. They flower around June, adding a bright seasonal trail to this rugged mountain.
Mizugaki shares a water honor with neighboring Mount Kinpu: the Environment Ministry lists their headwaters together among the “Heisei 100 Famous Waters.” Streams including Fudozawa and Amatorigawa rise from Mizugaki.
The grassy Mizugaki Nature Park at the mountain’s foot was once the main site of the 52nd National Tree Planting Festival, held on May 20, 2001. Its former grounds now welcome visitors beneath Mizugaki’s granite peaks.
