History
The selection of celebrated mountains had been done since the Edo period. Tani Bunchō praised 90 mountains as celebrated mountains in 日本名山図会 (A collection of maps and pictures of famous Japanese mountains), but among these were included such small mountains as Mount Asama in Ise, Mie and Mount Nokogiri on the Boso Peninsula. Unsatisfied with this selection, Fukuda, who had climbed many mountains in Japan, selected 100 celebrated Japanese mountains based on a combination of grace, history, and individuality, moreover excluding mountains with an altitude of less than 1,500 m (4,921 ft).
Though it was at first unknown other than to some hiking-lovers and avid readers, reports that the list was one of the Prince's favorite books increased its profile. The Crown Prince is a mountain enthusiast to the extent that he has even belonged to an alpine club, and it has been reported that it is a dream of his to reach the summit of every mountain on the list.
Since the 1980s, there has been a climbing boom amongst the middle-aged. It is not rock climbing that has been popularised, but rather hiking or trekking. However, due to the creation of more mountain lodges and trails, and the improvement of mountaineering technology, it became possible to climb mountains which had previously been considered very rugged.
The list became widely read, and people who choose mountains from the book to climb have increased. In imitation of Prince Naruhito, many people have also set the goal of reaching every summit on the list.
Mountaineering programs on NHK helped popularize the list. The station televised a documentary about taking up the mountains on the list one by one, and Rambō Minami's mountaineering primer for the middle-aged. These gained wide popularity, and the list became widely known. Since then, lists of 200 and 300 mountains, lists of hundreds of mountains in various localities, and a list of 100 floral mountains have appeared.
In 2002, a new record traversing all of the mountains in 66 days was established. This was superseded in 2007, with a new record of 48 continuous days.
Read more about this topic: 100 Famous Japanese Mountains
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—Catherine Drinker Bowen (1897–1973)
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