Kani | 7C+ Boulder problem at Mitake

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First ascent.

In my mid-20s, I was lucky enough to land a job at one of the only climbing gyms in Japan at the time. The gym opened in the afternoon, and Mitake was just a 40-minute drive away. I thought, why not train on real rock before work? That’s how the idea of “Morning Mitake” was born.

At the time, there was an unclimbed line that really intrigued me — a traverse from the left that linked into Ninja Gaeshi. A bold, obvious line anyone could see. That was Kani (“Crab”). The traverse itself had been tried before, but I’d never heard of anyone managing the moves where it joined Ninja Gaeshi. Anyone was free to try it, but no one had. I thought, if I could climb this, it would look amazing — and it’d surely be a hard problem. So I decided to give it a shot.

In summer, we’d boulder a bit, then go for a swim in the river before heading to the gym. I’d usually only be at Mitake from around 10 or 11 in the morning, so people would tease me: “That’s not Morning Mitake, it’s Lunchtime Mitake!” Still, I kept going and enjoyed it.

Then in October 1994, I finally completed Kani. The crux sequence where the line joined Ninja Gaeshi was right at the edge of what I could do. It was also unusual at the time because of how many moves it involved — it really demanded endurance. It was without a doubt the hardest climb I’d ever done. I proposed a grade of San-dan [7C+/8A] or 5.14a. The holds have changed since then, so the moves and difficulty are probably different now.

I still remember Ishimori and Nakata were there watching when I sent it. I was so happy.

References

[1] Mitake Bouldering Guide

References

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIdZT1R6Ty4

References

[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/DSH9Zh5E4qA/?img_index=3