Kuwamura Masaharu has summited Mounts Kashimayari and Goryu in the Northern Japanese Alps. For him, the feat meant much more than ticking off two more peaks. The one-legged climber wants to prove to himself and others that his disability does not stop him from doing such things.
At eight years old, Masaharu had his left leg amputated because of bone cancer. There was only a 10% chance he would survive the surgery. Masahura has always taken the fact that he did survive as a sign that the gods “were telling me to do something with only one leg.”
When he climbed his first mountain at the age of 44, he felt “a joy like no other he had experienced.” Inspired by Yokota Sadao, an early 20th-century climber who also had one leg amputated, his mission is to climb 100 famous mountains across Japan. Since his retirement in 2023 at age 58, he has accelerated his efforts.
Mount Goryu (2,814m) and Mount Kashimayari (2,889m) have narrow ridges and steep rock faces, with ladders in certain parts. Masaharu had attempted to climb them twice before. He has no intention of dying in the mountains; he has made a promise to his wife. If it is too risky, he will turn back. On his previous attempts, he suffered from shoulder problems.
To help with support, he uses metal forearm crutches. This means his body alternates from being supported by only his arms to just one of his legs. He says climbing mountains like this is “like doing continuous sets of pushups followed by a one-legged squat.”
Over four days, he summited Mount Kashimayari, covered the 23km between the ridges, and then climbed Mount Goryu. These are mountains 64 and 65 in his quest. He hopes to complete the remaining 35 mountains within four years.
You can watch a 25-minute documentary of Masaharu, in English, here.
