Mt. Paektu
The Last Unexplored Region of the Eurasian Continent
Japanese Mountain Photographer Mr. Iwahashi Takashi stands in front of
a picture of Mt. Paektu which he took in 1991.
"Guess what's hidden behind the current go-go nature-related trends such
as, outdoor sports, gardening , and mountain climbing booms?" asked Iwahashi
Takashi, a well-known Japanese mountain photographer, in his photo exhibition
held from May 25 to 29 at Mitsukoshi Art Museum in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
"It's a 'craving for nature' shared by people of all ages all over the
world. We're nibbling away unspoiled mother nature in exchange for 'materialistic
society' of today," said 55-year-old Mr. Iwahashi and took a glance at his
2x5 meter-wide picture panel of *Mt. Paektu, the sacred Korean mountain
seated in the north-eastern Hamgyong Province of the DPRK.
In search of a perfect mountain shot of his own, Mr. Iwahashi has trodden
around the world for more than 30 years and earned his fame as one of the
most distinguished mountain photographers representing Japan. He tells PK
about his special interest in Mt. Paektu, the highest mountain in Korea
towering some 2,750 meters above sea level, or what he calls the "last unexplored
region of the Eurasian Continent."
Photo: A top of Mt. Paektu provided by KCNA Photo Service in April 1992.
( Mr. Iwahashi does not want his pictures of Mt. Paektu duplicated through
Net. The copies of his pictures can be seen at our paper.)
"As I had admired Mt. Paektu since my school days, I was very quick to
accept a proposal asking me to shoot Mt. Paektu," replied Mr. Iwahashi when
asked how he got involved in Mt. Paektu.
After he accepted the proposal in 1991, he had spent more than 270 days
in the rigorous and frigid area of Mt. Paektu only to take pictures of wonder
that nobody could do. According to Mr. Iwahashi, the magnificent scenery
of Mt. Paektu was exactly what he had earlier pictured in his mind -- peerless
beauty intertwined with infinite metamorphosis. "Local people call Mt. Paektu
a 'mountain with 38 different appearances,'" he said.
He explained what he called "indescribable charm " in mountain photographs:
"We are only after the decisive moment when nature -- sky, light, shadow,
and colour --shows its perfect harmony. In pursuit of this, we sometimes
expose ourselves to the fierce untrodden edges of mother nature." He recalled
the time when he climbed Mt. Paektu in December as follows:
"The temperature was minus 35 degree Celsius and the wind was gushing at
a velocity of 35 meters per second. I stumbled in the face of raging winds
and my body was thrown on the ground. Facing head-on pebble stones and small
icy rocks flying amidst the strong wind, my face soon got frostbitten."
He courageously fought that ferocity of Mt. Paektu for 40 days, and finally
encountered the moment he had coveted so much: the clouds broke and the
wind lulled. "It was an utterly breath-taking moment, which could be liken
to the one when waves die out on the surface of a lake and its surface is
transformed into a nature-made reflex mirror." "Only those who withstand
that unimaginable adversity can savour that moment of supreme bliss," he
said smilingly. After a long winter has passed by, there comes a brief period
of spring around Mt. Paektu.
"That transformation of the mountain (from winter to spring) is surely
dramatic. All mountains are colourfully bright with fresh verdure. From
the foot up to the mountain top, all slopes are covered with high mountain
flora such as alpine roses. Such a grand-scale flower carpet is no longer
seen in Japan." In summer, he saw a lot of butterflies being float on the
Lake *Chon-ji, the deepest mountain lake in the world.
"Do you know why?" he asked casually. "They mistook the surface of the
lake for the blue sky, lured into the water, and were drowned. They were
resting there while drying up their drenched wings."
Having shot more than 30,000 mountain photographs of the four seasons,
all of which are depicted with a fine combination of yin and yang, Mr. Iwahashi
told, "As a man who has felt at the closest distance the dazzling awe-inspiring
mother nature, I wish to hand down the importance of it to the world people,
transcending the nationalities and boundaries."
Profile of Iwahashi Takashi
Born in 1944 in Tokyo.
Graduated from Keio University; Photo Department of Japan Art University.
Representative of "Group of Japan Mountain Photographers."
Mt. Paektu
Called "Paektusan" (White-Headed Mountain) by Koreans, Mt. Paektu is
situated on the northern border of Korea with China. As its name indicates,
its mountain top always looks white due to the snow clustering around it.
The mountain is inhabited by various animals including tigers, leopards,
bears, wolves, wild boars, deer's, musk deer's, and wild birds such as,
black grouses, owls, woodpeckers, and hazel grouses.
Lake Chon-ji
Chon-ji is a natural lake located on the top of the mountain. It was
formed in the crater made by the volcanic eruption. Its circumference is
14.4 square kilometres and its maximum depth boasting 384 meters, the deepest
in the world.
Thirty percent of its water consists of underground water gushing out
from three springs and 70 percent is made up by rainfall.
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