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Hidakasanmyaku Erimo Tokachi NP, Hokkaido
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An Ainu tale recorded in 1926 says the orca god, defeated by Kanna-kamuy, paid tribute in fish and seaweed; stored in summit lake Kamui-to, they were said to flow down the Satsunai River.
A Nakasatsunai local recalled seeing Sakamoto Naoyuki—the artist behind Rokkatei’s flower-pattern wrapper—sketching beside a station toilet. He said Tokachi Poroshiri looked best from there.
The mountain is still honored in ceremonies of Obihiro Ainu people: ceremonial altars include an inaw, a wooden offering, for Poroshiri-kamuy, the spirit associated with the mountain.
The Ainu name element poro-shiri means “big mountain,” but Hokkaido also has the better-known 2,052m Mount Poroshiri. Locals call this 1,846m peak “Kachiporo” to distinguish them.
Pikas have been confirmed among summit scree above 1,500m. Lower down, brown bears inhabit the forests, while deer, foxes, and sable also live around the mountain.
In 2012, Tokachi Poroshiri became the 8th addition to Pirikanoka, a National Scenic Place grouping landscapes valued for Ainu stories, sacred prayer sites, and place-names—not scenery alone.
A 2016 Ministry of the Environment ranger report describes local middle-school students reaching the summit on a school climb held once every 3 years—a community outing that brought the familiar mountain into their own footsteps.
