Mount Ontake, Sacred volcano on the Nagano–Gifu border, Japan
Ontake is an active andesite volcano rising 3067 meters (10,062 feet) between two prefectures in the Japanese Alps. Five crater lakes sit scattered across its forested slopes, surrounded by conifer trees and volcanic rock.
Since the 8th century, believers have considered this summit sacred and built shrines and lodgings for pilgrims. The sudden eruption in September 2014 caught hikers off guard and killed 63 people, making it Japan's deadliest volcanic event since 1945.
The name derives from "Onmi-take" (王御嶽), a title used by mountain ascetics, and the summit holds the Okumiya of Ontake Shrine. The mountain appears in the folk songs "Kiso Bushi" and "Ina Bushi", and in the Owari region it is affectionately called "Kiso no Ontake-san".
Several routes lead from different villages to the summit, with most hikers ascending between July and September. Mountain huts offer basic overnight stays, though some sections remain monitored or closed following the eruption.
The summit area holds five crater lakes; Ni no Ike, at 2,905 m, is the highest mountain lake in Japan. The 1979 phreatic eruption that ended Ontake's status as an extinct volcano was preceded six months earlier by Ni no Ike turning cloudy and bubbling audibly.
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