As I became more deeply absorbed in the mountains through climbs in Mount Kinpu and Tanzawa, seeing the rocky ridges of Hotaka gradually drew me toward rock climbing as well. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that, in order to tackle routes considered difficult, rock-climbing skills had become indispensable.
I learned from friends and climbing companions, and by studying mountaineering books I managed to acquire a certain level of technique, though nothing truly advanced. I also attended training sessions run by alpine guides and went to places such as Mitsutoge.
To pursue serious rock climbing, joining a mountaineering club was naturally the quickest path. Looking through membership notices in mountain magazines, I joined a city-based climbing club called the Tokyo Climbers Club (TCC). The name sounded grand, but it was actually a small and modest club focused mainly on rock climbing. We held regular meetings in Kanda.
At first, senior members took me to Hikawa Byobu-iwa in Okutama, a well-known practice crag. There I learned how to tie into the rope, how to belay, and how to rappel. I was also made to stand in an etrier (aid ladder) for the first time. Terrified, I crouched awkwardly and clung desperately to the rope with my arms, which soon became painfully swollen and rigid as clubs.
After that, I began going regularly for training to Koikawa Buttress, Mount Hiwada, and Mitsutoge.
Little by little I became more comfortable with aid climbing and no longer climbed in such a timid posture. I learned to handle overhangs and gradually became accustomed to using double ropes.
At Mitsutoge, I eventually managed routes such as the Kukan Ridge and the Four-Tier Overhang—lines that thrust out into open space, almost as if one were traversing through an attic beneath the roof. In those days I sometimes became a little overconfident, imagining that I felt if I could climb anywhere.
But that arrogance was quickly shattered after failures on serious climbs in Mount Tanigawa.
I had thought I spent many years devoted to rock climbing, but when I look back through my records, the period of my most energetic climbing was in fact only a brief chapter of youth.
When I gaze at the old photographs, now faded into sepia tones, bittersweet memories of those younger days return to me. I was still immature, yet I remember being filled with hope for the mountains that lay ahead.
English version prepared with AI assistance
(Originally written in Japanese)
Japanese version:
My first experience using an etrier. I was so frightened that I clung to the rope awkwardly with all my strength.
At Koisawa Buttress, beginning to feel a little more at ease.
Climbing at Mitsutoge. The overhang known as the Four-Tier Hang, jutting out like a roof, was overwhelming.