Naomi Uemura was a Japanese
adventurer who was known particularly for his solo exploits. For
example, he was the first man to reach the North Pole solo, the first
man to raft the Amazon solo, and the first man to climb Denali solo. He
disappeared a day after his 43rd birthday while attempting to climb
Denali in the winter.
Uemura dreamed of soloing across Antarctica and climbing that continent's highest peak, Vinson Massif.
In preparation, in 1976 he did a solo sled-dog run from Greenland to
Alaska, in two stages and 363 days. He set a record for the
long-distance record for a dog-sled journey at 12,000 kilometres.
In August 1970, Uemura climbed Denali peak, Alaska, becoming the first person to reach the top alone.
He did this quickly and with a light pack (8 days up, versus an average
of 14 days or so; 55-pound (25 kg) pack, versus an average probably
twice that). August is after the end of the normal climbing season.
While the weather he faced was not terrible, the mountain was almost
empty with only four other people on it. Though many people have climbed
Denali alone since Uemura, most do it in the middle of the climbing
season.
Denali winter ascent
Uemura then prepared to climb Denali again solo in winter; however, for
people unfamiliar with Alaskan climbing, the difficulty of a winter
ascent can often be misjudged. Nobody had successfully climbed any large
Alaskan peak in winter until 1967 when Gregg Blomberg organized an
expedition that got to the top of Denali (Blomberg himself did not
summit). This team lost one member and nearly lost the remaining members
in a storm on the way down. Team member Art Davidson's book, Minus 148,
recounts the events of the climb and was named after the storm that
jeopardized the team.
There is a high degree of danger with glacier travel, and even short
treks across the ice are considered hazardous. For example, glaciers are
often broken with cracks, called crevasses, that are often covered with
snow and not visible. Due to these occurrences as well as other
underlying factors, an ascent is both very difficult and very dangerous
to attempt without a team.
Uemura had developed a "self-rescue" device which consisted of bamboo
poles tied over his shoulders. The poles would span any crevasse into
which he fell and allow him to pull himself out. He planned a very light
run, with only a 18 kg pack plus sled. He kept his gear light by
planning to sleep in snow caves and therefore freeing himself from
needing to carry a tent. He also skimped on fuel and planned to eat cold
food.
He began his climb in early February 1984 and reached the summit on
February 12. Sometime later, climbers would find the Japanese flag that
he left at the summit.
Disappearance
On February 13, 1984, one day after his 43rd birthday, Uemura spoke by
radio with Japanese photographers who were flying over Denali, saying
that he had made the top and descended back to 5,500 m. He planned to
reach the base camp in another two days but never made it.
There appeared to be high winds near the top, and the temperature was
around −50 °F (−46 °C). Planes flew over the mountain but did not see
him that day. He was spotted around 5,100 m the next day (presumably on
the ridge just above the headwall). However, complications with the
weather made further searching difficult.
It was likely that Uemura was running out of fuel at this point, but
because of his reputation, nobody wanted to send a rescue party for fear
it would offend him. Doug Geeting, one of the bush pilots who had been
"Uemura spotting" over the previous week, said, "If it were anybody
else, we'd have somebody [a rescuer] on the mountain already". On
February 20, the weather had cleared, and Uemura was nowhere to be
found. There was no sign of his earlier camp at 5,100 m and no evidence
that caches left by other climbers nearby had been disturbed.
Two experienced climbers were dropped at 4,300 m to begin a search.
Though another storm came in, they stayed on the mountain until February
26, finding a cave in which Uemura had stayed at 4,300 m on the way up,
but no sign of Uemura himself. A diary found in the cave revealed that
Uemura had left gear there to lighten his load on the summit push. He
had also left his self-rescue poles back at 2,900 m, knowing he was past
the worst crevasse fields. Most people figured he had fallen on his
descent of the headwall and been hurt, died, and was buried by snow.
Another theory is that he could have made it to 4,300 m (which is the
base of the headwall) and then fallen into one of the many crevasses
there and perished.
The diary found in the cave has been published in Japanese and English.
It describes the conditions that Uemura suffered—the crevasse falls,
-40° weather, frozen meat, and inadequate shelter. The diary entries
showed him to be in good spirits and documented the songs he sang to
stay focused on his task.
The last entry read, "I wish I could sleep in a warm sleeping bag. No matter what happens I am going to climb McKinley."
Legacy
Uemura is remembered not only as a gifted climber and a driven
adventurer but also as a gentle, self-effacing man who cared about
others. In the words of Jonathan Waterman, "[Just as remarkable] as his
solo achievements were his sincere modesty and unassuming nature.
Another part of his greatness lay in his deep interest in everyone he
met." Uemura gave frequent public lectures and wrote about his travels.
His adventure books for children were popular in Japan.
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And his watch of choice? A
Seiko. Ref. 6105, in fact. Uemura wore the 6105 on a 12,500km solo dog
sled run from Greenland to Alaska in 1976, and collectors have
speculated that he wore the watch on a '78 North Pole expedition.
In Uemura's honour, Seiko have now created two Uemura watches: limited edition blue dial SLA049J , and a non-limited version of the watch with a textured grey dial and black bezel, SLA051J.
Both feature the 8L35 movement which comes out of Seiko's Shizukuishi
Watch Studio in Northern Japan. Additionally, the case on these watches
features Seiko's "super-hard" coating. Think of them as 'top of the
range' Seiko Divers.
Captain Willard or Naomi Uemura?
We should stop calling the 6105 releases Captain Willard. In a way, it
is disrespectful. Captain Willard is merely a fictional character in an
iconic film, Naomi Uemura was a real-life 20th-century explorer whose
accomplishments are nothing short of incredible.
As I type this, I have two black SLA051J on my desk. I will be keeping
one for myself. The second watch is ready to go to a new home. To an
owner who will appreciate this masterpiece for what it really is. To an
enthusiastic owner who will keep the story of a legend explorer alive.
SLA051J comes with the boutique price of $4,595. Your price – today only – is $3,888. This is a ‘subscriber’s only’ price and as said, valid if the watch is paid in full, today.
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However, before you click away, please do me
a favour. Check out the story about Uemura's 'other' watch from a brand
which became famous by giving away watches:
https://www.seikology.net/blog/seiko-vs-rolex-duel-at-the-north-pole
Oh, the irony...
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