磐梯山

ROUTE 21. BANDAI-SAN. Train by the Northern Railway from Tōkyō (Ueno station) to Motomiya in 8 hrs. Whole time of trip, 4 days. Motomiya (Inn, Mito-ya), itself an unattractive town, is the best place from which to reach the volcano of Bandai-san, noted for its terrific eruption on the morning of the 15th July, 1888. The itinerary to the town of Inawashiro, situated at the foot of the mountain, is as follows. MOTOMIYA to:— Atami, 4 ri, 9¾ m.; Yamagata, 2 ri, 5 m.; INAWASHIRO, 4 ri, 9¾ m. Total, 10 ri, 24½ m. Leaving Motomiya, by jinrikisha in the morning, Inawashiro will be reached early in the afternoon. The road as far as Atami (decent accommodation) is flat and fairly good in fine weather.

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Here we join the road from Kōriyama station, which is 1 ri longer than that from Motomiya. From Atami to Yamagata, a vill. on the shores of Lake Inawashiro, the road becomes hilly and the scenery more varied. A part of the way lies by the side of a canal, which has been constructed for purposes of irrigation. As one approaches the cascade formed by the water of the canal falling over a cliff, it will be found advisable to walk up the narrow path, steep as it is, rather than follow the windings of the main road in jinrikisha. From Yamagata (Inn, Kashima-ya), small steamers cross the lake to Tonokuchi, the landing-place for Wakamatsu, the capital of the province (see next Route).

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Lake Inawashiro is a large sheet of water measuring

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about 4 ri in every direction; and is almost surrounded by a succession of thickly wooded hills, above which, on the N. shore, towers the sharp summit of Bandai-san. This lake is not a true crater lake, as has been supposed, but is probably a depression formed by evisceration of the ground, resulting from the copious outpourings of volcanic matter in its vicinity. Its principal feeder used to be the river Nagase, the upper course of which was entirely stopped by the débris swept down during the eruption of 1888. The lake is now supplied mainly by the Sukawa, flowing from Dake-yama. It is plentifully stocked with salmon-trout and other fish.

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The road follows the shores of the lake until the N. end is reached, whence it leads over a wide cultivated area to Inawashiro (Inn, Shio-ya), a dull country town lying on the S.E. base of Bandai-san. From here the ascent of the mountain and the circuit of the devastated district may most conveniently be made. Bandai-san (6,000 ft.) is the name usually given to a group of peaks consisting of Ō-Bandai, Ko-Bandai (destroyed), Kushi-ga-mine, and Akahani-yama, surrounding an elevated plain called Numa-no-taira. This group, standing on the N. side of Lake Inawashiro, forms a very conspicuous object in the landscape.

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When seen from the town of Wakamatsu, on the S.W. side, it appears as a single pointed peak. Ō-Bandai, or Great Bandai, is the most prominent of the peaks. Numa-no-taira is supposed to be the remains of the original crater, and the peaks mentioned are probably parts of the wall that encircled it. Within it were several small lakes or pools, as its name implies. It was also covered with dense forests, which were destroyed in the last eruption. "On the morning of July 15th, 1888, the weather in the Bandai district was fine, there being scarcely a cloud; and a gentle breeze was blowing from the W.N.W.

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Soon after 7 o'clock, curious rumbling noises were heard, which the people thought to be the sound of distant thunder, often heard among the mountain-tops. At about half-past 7, there occurred a tolerably severe earthquake, which lasted more than 20 seconds. This was followed soon after by a most violent shaking of the ground. At 7.45, while the ground was still heaving, the eruption of Ko-Bandai-san took place. A dense column of steam and dust shot into the air, making a tremendous noise.

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Explosions followed one after another, in all to the number of 15 or 20, the steam on each occasion except the last being described as having attained a height above the peaks about equivalent to that of Ō-Bandai as seen from Inawashiro, that is to say, some 1,280 metres, or 4,200 ft. The last explosion, however, is said to have projected its discharge almost horizontally, towards the valley on the N. And, considering the topography of the mountain and the form of the crater, it is probable that previous discharges were also more or less inclined to the vertical, in a northerly direction.

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The main eruptions lasted for a minute or more, and were accompanied by thundering sounds which, though rapidly lessening in intensity, continued for nearly two hours. Meanwhile the dust and steam rapidly ascended, and spread into a great cloud like an open umbrella in shape, at a height equal to at least three or four times that of Ō-Bandai. This cloud was gradually wafted away by the wind in a south-easterly direction. At the immediate foot of the mountain there was a rain of hot scalding ashes, accompanied by pitchy darkness. A little later, darkness was still great, and a smart shower of rain fell, lasting for about five minutes. The rain was quite warm.

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These phenomena, as well as the terror and bewilderment which they caused among the peasantry, were described in thrilling terms by the newspapers of the day. While darkness as aforesaid still shrouded the region, a mighty avalanche of earth and rock rushed at terrific speed down the mountain slopes, buried the Nagase valley with its villages and people, and devastated an area of more than 70 square kilomètres, or 27 square miles,"—(Professors Sekiya and Kikuchi.) The total number of lives lost in this great cataclysm, which blew a massive mountain to pieces, was 461.

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Four hamlets were completely buried under the disrupted matter, along with their inhabitants and cattle, and seven villages were partially destroyed. Whole forests were levelled by the shock, and rivers were blocked up by the ejected mud and rocks. No such disaster had happened

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in Japan since the famous eruption of Asama-yama in 1873. The ascent of Bandai-san from Inawashiro is usually made by walking for about 2 m. along the old highway which leads to the West Coast. A path then turns sharp r. over the grassy moor, and for a considerable distance is a gradual climb. When the higher and thickly wooded part of the mountain is reached, the ascent becomes much steeper. Looking backwards, glorious views of the extensive plain in which Wakamatsu is situated are obtained at various points. A walk of about 3 hrs. should bring one to a point on the W. side of the mountain and not far from the crater wall, where the full force of the explosion may be best realised.

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The awful scene of havoc bursts upon one with bewildering suddenness. The path then descends, and passes over the sea of mud and rocks in the direct line of eruption, till the hill shutting out the valley of the Nagase-gawa is encountered. Crossing this and walking over the site of the annihilated hamlet of Kawakami, we next come 3 m. further down the valley to the hamlet of Nagasaka, whose inhabitants, in endeavouring to escape to the hills opposite, were overwhelmed by the sea of mud. At the vill. of Mine, less than ¾ m. from Inawashiro, a deflected portion of the muddy stream was arrested, and may be seen piled up several feet thick.

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Great changes have since taken place in the appearance of the devastated area, through the effects of erosion upon the rugged masses of rock and mud that had been left by the catastrophe. The dammed-up waters of the Nagase-gawa now form a large lake, 5 or 6 m. long and about 1 m. broad. But taken altogether, the spectacle is still one of the most weird and engrossing to be seen in any part of the world. The circuit of the mountain as here described occupies a day, but leaves little time for investigation of any kind. Provisions should be obtained at Inawashiro before starting. Guides are always procurable.

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