Asama Mountains

Mount Asama rises on the border of Shinano and Kōzuke, a volcanic peak above forests and settlements. In 1783 a great eruption scattered ash across the region and sent a destructive flow down its northern slopes. The village of Kanbara was overwhelmed, and mud and debris travelled into the Tone River system. News of the eruption reached Edo, where falling ash gave distant inhabitants a sign of the disaster in the mountains.