Consul-General Wajima Confers the Consul-General’s Commendation on the Jasper Yellowhead Historical Society (JYHS)
2025/9/29
On September 29th, Consul-General Wajima presented the Consul-General’s Commendation to the Jasper Yellowhead Historical Society (JYHS). Following the presentation of the certificate to JYHS President Mr. Stephan Pavlov, the Consul-General hosted a social gathering in Jasper with individuals involved in the Society’s activities. It was attended by Mr. Pavlov, former JYHS President Mr. Warren Waxer, Mayor Richard Ireland and Mrs. Ireland of the Municipality of Jasper, former Alpine Club of Canada President Mr. Mike Mortimer, and many other distinguished guests.
The JYHS is a non-profit organization that operates the Jasper-Yellowhead Museum and Archives. The museum features a permanent exhibition dedicated to the first ascent of Mount Alberta by a Japanese climbing expedition in 1925. At that time, Mount Alberta was the only unclimbed major peak in the Canadian Rockies. The successful ascent was achieved by a Japanese team led by Mr. Yuko Maki—founder and two-term president of the Japanese Alpine Club—with the support of Marquis Moritatsu Hosokawa. A symbolic ice axe entrusted to the expedition by Marquis Hosokawa was left at the summit as a commemorative marker.
The ice axe was later removed in 1948 by an American expedition that completed the second ascent of Mount Alberta, and was subsequently sent to a mountaineering museum in New York. In 1992, Mr. Greg Horne, a Park Warden of Jasper National Park — also a member of the Alpine Club of Canada— happened upon the ice axe during a visit to the museum. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of him and the JYHS, the ice axe was eventually transferred and put on display at the Jasper-Yellowhead Museum and Archives.
In 1997, during the annual banquet of the Japanese Alpine Club in Japan, the head portion of the ice axe was reunited with its shaft, which had been preserved in Japan. The restoration ceremony was held in the presence of His Highness the Crown Prince and members of the Japanese Alpine Club. In 2000, the 75th anniversary of the first ascent was celebrated in Jasper, co-hosted by the Alpine Club of Canada and the Japanese Alpine Club, where the restored ice axe was unveiled and permanently placed on display at the museum.
On July 21, 2025, the 100th anniversary of the first ascent of Mount Alberta was commemorated with a special ceremony co-hosted by the Alpine Club of Canada the Japanese Alpine Club, and the JYHS. The Jasper-Yellowhead Museum and Archives unveiled a special exhibition room and a large-scale mural on the museum’s exterior wall to celebrate the centennial. The mural, created through the collaboration of Japanese and Canadian artists, pays tribute to the historic achievement of the Japanese expedition.
While the JYHS was originally founded to preserve the local history of the Jasper region, it has played an invaluable role in carefully documenting and passing down the legacy of the Japanese team’s first ascent of Mount Alberta. During the presentation ceremony, Consul-General Wajima expressed his deep appreciation to the JYHS for its longstanding efforts to preserve and share the history of this remarkable Japanese accomplishment.
For more information on the history of the first ascent of Mount Alberta, please refer to the link below.
https://www.calgary.ca.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/11_000001_00798.html
During his stay in Jasper, the Consul-General was given a guided tour of the park by Kevin Gedling, an officer at Jasper National Park, and received a briefing on the state of the national park following the fires that occurred in 2024.
The Consul-General sincerely hopes that life in Jasper and surrounding area will continue to return to its vibrant atmosphere and hopes many tourists including Japanese people will visit Jasper continually to support the local community, with warm regards for a friendship spanning over a century.
The JYHS is a non-profit organization that operates the Jasper-Yellowhead Museum and Archives. The museum features a permanent exhibition dedicated to the first ascent of Mount Alberta by a Japanese climbing expedition in 1925. At that time, Mount Alberta was the only unclimbed major peak in the Canadian Rockies. The successful ascent was achieved by a Japanese team led by Mr. Yuko Maki—founder and two-term president of the Japanese Alpine Club—with the support of Marquis Moritatsu Hosokawa. A symbolic ice axe entrusted to the expedition by Marquis Hosokawa was left at the summit as a commemorative marker.
The ice axe was later removed in 1948 by an American expedition that completed the second ascent of Mount Alberta, and was subsequently sent to a mountaineering museum in New York. In 1992, Mr. Greg Horne, a Park Warden of Jasper National Park — also a member of the Alpine Club of Canada— happened upon the ice axe during a visit to the museum. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of him and the JYHS, the ice axe was eventually transferred and put on display at the Jasper-Yellowhead Museum and Archives.
In 1997, during the annual banquet of the Japanese Alpine Club in Japan, the head portion of the ice axe was reunited with its shaft, which had been preserved in Japan. The restoration ceremony was held in the presence of His Highness the Crown Prince and members of the Japanese Alpine Club. In 2000, the 75th anniversary of the first ascent was celebrated in Jasper, co-hosted by the Alpine Club of Canada and the Japanese Alpine Club, where the restored ice axe was unveiled and permanently placed on display at the museum.
On July 21, 2025, the 100th anniversary of the first ascent of Mount Alberta was commemorated with a special ceremony co-hosted by the Alpine Club of Canada the Japanese Alpine Club, and the JYHS. The Jasper-Yellowhead Museum and Archives unveiled a special exhibition room and a large-scale mural on the museum’s exterior wall to celebrate the centennial. The mural, created through the collaboration of Japanese and Canadian artists, pays tribute to the historic achievement of the Japanese expedition.
While the JYHS was originally founded to preserve the local history of the Jasper region, it has played an invaluable role in carefully documenting and passing down the legacy of the Japanese team’s first ascent of Mount Alberta. During the presentation ceremony, Consul-General Wajima expressed his deep appreciation to the JYHS for its longstanding efforts to preserve and share the history of this remarkable Japanese accomplishment.
For more information on the history of the first ascent of Mount Alberta, please refer to the link below.
https://www.calgary.ca.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/11_000001_00798.html
During his stay in Jasper, the Consul-General was given a guided tour of the park by Kevin Gedling, an officer at Jasper National Park, and received a briefing on the state of the national park following the fires that occurred in 2024.
The Consul-General sincerely hopes that life in Jasper and surrounding area will continue to return to its vibrant atmosphere and hopes many tourists including Japanese people will visit Jasper continually to support the local community, with warm regards for a friendship spanning over a century.
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| Group photo | Consul-General Wajima delivering speech |
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| Event in progress | Consul-General receiving a guide tour of the Jasper national park |