Konpirayama: Ohara's Old Chert Crag, Single Pitches and a North-Ridge Multi-Pitch | Japan Climbing Crags

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Konpirayama (金比羅山, こんぴらやま) is in Ohara, in Kyoto's Sakyo Ward, on the hillside behind Ebumi Shrine (江文神社, えぶみじんじゃ). The rock is chert (チャート). People have climbed here since the days of rock climbing in mountain boots: CLIMBING-net describes it as a long-standing practice ground for Japanese alpine climbing ("日本のアルパインクライミングの練習場") that went free in the 1980s, and the two characters still live side by side.

ROCKTOPO calls it "京都でリードクライミング・マルチピッチが出来る貴重な岩場" — a rare crag in Kyoto for both lead climbing and multi-pitch. Beyond the single pitches, the walls can be linked into one north-ridge (北尾根) multi-pitch.

The one thing to know before going: do not park at Ebumi Shrine. ROCKTOPO says "アプローチの神社には絶対に駐車しない事" (never park at the shrine on the approach), and CLIMBING-net notes that past trouble with locals once put climbing here at risk of being banned.

What kind of crag it is

Ohara sits in the mountains northeast of central Kyoto — Kyoto City's tourism site says "大原・八瀬は京都市北東の山間部に位置します". Ebumi Shrine stands beside the Ebumi Pass road from Ohara toward Shizuhara, and Japanese Wikipedia notes that Mt. Ebumi behind it is "現在の金比羅山" (today's Konpirayama). ROCKTOPO's approach page spells it 金毘羅山; it is the same place.

Route count and grades (checked 2026-10-12)

The two sites give different numbers:

• CLIMBING-net: "約70本" (about 70 routes), with no grade breakdown. It says its topo covers the routes popular as a free-climbing crag and leaves out heavily eliminated ones.
• ROCKTOPO: 49 routes — 46 face, 3 crack. Face routes: 5.2+: 23, 5.10a+: 16, 5.11a+: 7. All 3 cracks are 5.10a+. The grade filter on its route table tops out at 5.11d.

ROCKTOPO splits the crag into more than a dozen sectors. The ones with the most routes listed:

Who it suits: nearly half of ROCKTOPO's routes are 5.9 or easier and the hardest only reach the 5.11s. It suits climbers practicing outdoor lead, multi-pitch, or mixed natural protection. If you want 5.12+ projects, there is nothing here.

Gear: not a pure bolted crag

CLIMBING-net's gear notes are specific:

• On most routes you can build top-rope anchors from nuts in cracks or from trees, and belaying a follower is no problem.
• "カム、ナッツは有効なので、積極的に使用することをすすめる" — cams and nuts work, so use them. For example, the corner hang (layback) on White Chimney has shallow, upside-down pitons left in place, but Camalots #1–2 fit.
• "リングボルトのリングが老朽化しているところもしばしばあり" — ring bolts are often worn, and some are better tied off with a nut's wire.

So bring a set of cams and nuts along with your quickdraws.

When to go

Neither site says which months are better or worse, or why. None of the sources read for this post mention seepage, sun exposure, or snow, so check ROCKTOPO's rain-cloud overlay and recent user logs before going. One ROCKTOPO log on Gate Rock's 左カンテルート reads "前日の雨でヌルヌル" (slimy from the previous day's rain), so the rock can stay slick after rain.

Getting there

Public transport

1. Take a Kyoto Bus toward Ohara and get off at Hanajiribashi (花尻橋) or Todera (戸寺), then walk about 20 minutes to Ebumi Shrine (CLIMBING-net: "京都バス、大原行きに乗車し、花尻橋又は戸寺で下車、江文神社まで徒歩20分").
2. According to Kyoto Bus stop data, both Todera and Hanajiribashi (English stop name: Hanajiribashi (Kyoto Ohara Memorial Hospital)) are served by routes 10, 16, 17, 18, and 19.
3. Connecting from the city: Kyoto City's tourism site recommends taking the Karasuma subway line from Kyoto Station to its terminus, Kokusaikaikan, then Kyoto Bus route 19; from the Shijo-Kawaramachi area, take the Keihan line to Demachiyanagi and transfer to Kyoto Bus route 17. It also warns that although buses run directly from Kyoto Station, "バス一本で向かうのは大変時間がかかります" (going on a single bus takes a very long time).

Timetables are on the Kyoto Bus timetable page; search by the stop names 戸寺 or 花尻橋.

From the shrine to the walls

From ROCKTOPO's approach page:

• Follow the forest road beside the shrine, and near the check dam (堰堤) branch left up along the stream.
• Gate Rock appears on the left of the stream; a little higher, White Chimney appears on the right.
• Climb the gully (ルンゼ) right of White Chimney to a col on the ridge. Traverse level from there to reach ちゃんちゃん岩 and 大カンテ岩, or descend a steep gully from the col to the M and K areas.

ROCKTOPO's crag page adds that the multi-pitch starts at "アプローチ右手に見える岩壁" (the wall visible on the right of the approach), continues up M Face / K Slab, and tops out on the ridge.

By car

• Route: on National Route 367, coming from Kyoto, turn left before Hanajiribashi, or turn left at the Nomura-cho (野村町) traffic light just before the convenience store (CLIMBING-net).
• No parking: anywhere near the shrine, or on the shrine-side shoulder of the road from Route 367 up to Ebumi Pass. Even if you are not parking, do not drive into the shrine grounds (CLIMBING-net).
• Where you can park — the two sources differ, so both are listed:
  • CLIMBING-net: "旧馬屋跡付近にも駐車できる" — you can park near the old stable site (旧馬屋跡), but local residents drive in and out, so pull as far onto the shoulder as possible.
  • ROCKTOPO's "金比羅山の駐車場": about 5 cars, "有料の駐車場。住民の方が善意で貸してくれている。不在時はポストに500円入れる" — a paid lot that a resident lends out of goodwill; if nobody is home, put ¥500 in the mailbox (checked 2026-10-12).
  • Neither site says whether these are the same spot. On site, follow what local residents tell you.
• Expressway interchange and driving time: not given in the sources read for this post.

Rules to know before you go

• Never park at the shrine: ROCKTOPO says "アプローチの神社には絶対に駐車しない事"; CLIMBING-net bans parking near the shrine and on the shrine-side shoulder of the Ebumi Pass road, and asks you not to drive into the shrine.
• Listen to locals: CLIMBING-net: "以前にも地元の方とのトラブルがあり金比羅山がクライミング禁止の危機にさらされたことがあるため、地元の方の注意は必ず聞くように" — after past trouble with residents nearly got climbing banned, always heed what locals tell you.
• No camping: CLIMBING-net: "神社付近及び駐車場所でのキャンプは禁止。民家も隣接しているので金比羅山でのキャンプは不可" — camping is banned near the shrine and where you park, and with houses close by, camping at Konpirayama is not allowed at all.
• Rockfall: CLIMBING-net says the rock is generally stable but occasionally flakes off, and the tops of the walls are often used as paths, so watch for falling rock — "特にMの岩場ではKスラブ取付及び終了点からの落石が多々ある" (especially at the M crag, where rock often falls from the K Slab start and anchors).
• Old fixed gear: as noted above, some ring bolts have worn rings.
• Toilets: CLIMBING-net's public toilet field is blank, and none of the sources read for this post mention a toilet nearby.
• Registration and fees: neither CLIMBING-net nor ROCKTOPO mentions registration or an access fee; the only cost is the ¥500 parking fee on ROCKTOPO's parking page. As of 2026-10-12 the JFA access-issue list does not include this crag; check again before you go.

Representative routes

From ROCKTOPO's sector pages (names and grades as listed, 2026-10-12):

• White Chimney (ホワイトチムニー): サラワリ (5.10a — the sector's highest route score, most likes, and most ascents on ROCKTOPO), コーナーハング (5.9, the route CLIMBING-net mentions as taking cams), ノーマルルート (5.6), チムニールート (5.4), 右ハングルート (5.10b). ROCKTOPO
• M Face / K Slab (Mフェイス・Kスラブ): 岩峰会ルート (5.9), Mクラック (5.10a), 低血圧 (5.10b), 高血圧 (5.10c), ボルトフェイス (5.10c), ノーマル左 (5.9), ノーマル右 (5.5). ROCKTOPO
• Gate Rock (ゲートロック): 左カンテルート (5.5), ノーマル (5.8), カンテルート (5.9), 逆層フェイス (5.10a), アラプリーズハング (5.10c). ROCKTOPO
• Pyramid (ピラミッド): ノーマルルート (5.7), クラックルート (5.10a, crack), バナナスキャンダル (5.10b), 逆さ打ちハーケンルート (5.10c), メロン (5.11b). ROCKTOPO

Where to look things up

• ROCKTOPO: Konpirayama: sector list, grade distribution, user logs; sector pages have line diagrams, route grades, and elevations. Offline downloads require login.
• ROCKTOPO approach and parking pages: how to reach each wall from the shrine, and where the lot is and how to pay.
• CLIMBING-net: Konpirayama: Yama-Kei's crag entry, covering access, no-parking zones, the camping ban, rockfall, and gear; full topos are in the "東海・関西" guidebook listed under 掲載書籍.
• Kyoto Bus timetables: departures from Todera and Hanajiribashi.
• JFA access-issue list: check for new restrictions before you go.

References

• ROCKTOPO: 金比羅山 (Konpirayama) (in Japanese)
• ROCKTOPO: 金毘羅山のアプローチ情報 (approach) (in Japanese)
• ROCKTOPO: 金比羅山の駐車場 (parking) (in Japanese)
• ROCKTOPO: ホワイトチムニー (White Chimney) (in Japanese)
• ROCKTOPO: Mフェイス・Kスラブ (M Face / K Slab) (in Japanese)
• ROCKTOPO: ゲートロック (Gate Rock) (in Japanese)
• ROCKTOPO: ピラミッド (Pyramid) (in Japanese)
• CLIMBING-net: 金比羅山 (Konpirayama) (in Japanese)
• Kyoto Bus: timetables and stops (in Japanese)
• Kyoto City Tourism Association: getting to Ohara (in Japanese)
• Wikipedia: 江文神社 (Ebumi Shrine) (in Japanese)
• Japan Free Climbing Association (JFA): access-issue areas nationwide (in Japanese)