is one of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains. The 2144 m (7,034 ft) high peak lies in the Ashio Mountains of Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, on the border of Nikkō

Nikko, Tochigi

is a city in the mountains of Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Approximately 140 km north of Tokyo and 35 km west of Utsunomiya, the capital of Tochigi Prefecture, it is a popular destination for Japanese and international tourists...

 in Tochigi Prefecture

Tochigi Prefecture

is a prefecture located in the Kantō region on the island of Honshū, Japan. The capital is the city of Utsunomiya.Nikkō, whose ancient Shintō shrines and Buddhist temples UNESCO has recognized by naming them a World Heritage Site, is in this prefecture...

 and Numata

Numata, Gunma

is a city in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. It is in northern Gunma, bordered by Mt. Akagi and Mt. Hotaka. The kanji for Numata approximately mean "boggy field."...

 in Gunma Prefecture

Gunma Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the northwest corner of the Kantō region on Honshu island. Its capital is Maebashi.- History :The remains of a Paleolithic man were found at Iwajuku, Gunma Prefecture, in the early 20th century and there is a public museum there.Japan was without horses until...

. Mount Sukai is an old stratovolcano

Stratovolcano

A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a tall, conical volcano built up by many layers of hardened lava, tephra, pumice, and volcanic ash. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile and periodic, explosive eruptions...

, but with the whole mountain covered in forest today it does not appear like a typical volcano.

Hiking routes

The traditional ascent route starts at the trailhead in , Tochigi Prefecture, and leads via and to the top of Mount Sukai. In addition Mount Sukai can be reached from in Gunma Prefecture.

The Nokogiri (Japanese: saw) ridge between Mount Koshin and Mount Nokogiri on the Tochigi side features eleven peaks. There is also a winding trail avoiding the eleven peak ridge and Mount Koshin. It leads south of the ridge to before joining the ridge trail at Mount Nokogiri.

Religiously motivated mountain climbing in form of a three-mountain-race along Mounts Koshin, Nokogiri and Sukai was practised in the Edo period

Edo period

The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....

. There are ladders along the ascent to Mount Koshin and the ups and downs on Nokogiri's ridges. Many chains are present in precipitous spots. The route is not recommended for beginners.

There are onsen

Onsen

An is a term for hot springs in the Japanese language, though the term is often used to describe the bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs. As a volcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsen scattered along its length and breadth...

 at the trailhead in Ginzandaira. Lodging and bathing is possible here.

Making use of private transport the summit can be climbed in relatively short time along the Fudosawa route on the Gunma side.

Mountain huts

There is the unmanned near the summit of Mount Koshin.

Summits in the surrounding

, Known for the butterwort Pinguicula ramosa

Pinguicula ramosa

Pinguicula ramosa is a species of butterwort, a carnivorous plant, endemic to the mountains of Nikkō National Park in Japan. It belongs to the section micranthus and is closely related to Pinguicula variegata...

which grows here in the wild.

External links

• Topographic map (1:25,000)