Manaslu
was first climbed in 1956 by a japanese expedition. Its
name comes from the Sanskrit word Manasa, meaning 'intellect'
or 'soul'. This is the same word that is the root of the
name of the holy lake Manasarover near Mt kailas in Tibet.
Just as the British considered Everest to be there mountain,
Manaslu has always been a 'Japanese' mountain.
The record on manaslu in 2002 was 175
summiters, 120 expeditions and 49 deaths.
HW Tilman and Jimmy Roberts photographed
manaslu during a trek in 1950, but the first real survey
of the peak was made by a japanese expedition in 1952.
A Japanese team made the first serious
attempt on the peak from the Buri Gandaki valley in 1953
when anothere team followed in 1954, the villagers of
Samagaon told them that the first team had been responsible
for an avalanche which destroyed a monastery, and refused
to let the 1954 expedition climb. The expedition set off
to climb Ganesh Himal instead.
Despite a large donation for the rebuilding
of the monastery, subsequent japanese expeditions, including
the one that made the first ascent in 1956, took place
in an atmosphere of animosity and mistrust. The second
successful Japanese expedition was in 1971 there was South
Korean attempt in 1971, and in april 1972 an avlanche
which resulted in the death of five climbers and 10 Sherpas
ended the second South Korean expedition.
Reinhold Messner made the fourth
ascent of Manaslu as a member of a Tyroleam expedition
that climbed the peak from the Marsyangdi valley in 1972.
