Cho Oyu | 1981 SE Face (to 5200m)
A Japan expedition to Cho Oyu in 1981 via SE Face (to 5200m), led by Takeshi Komatsu. Summit reached on 21st May 1981. 42 members recorded.
Expedition Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ID | 1848 |
| Imported | 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634 |
| Expedition ID | CHOY81101 |
| Peak ID | CHOY |
| Year | 1981 |
| Season | 1 |
| Host Country | 1 |
| Route 1 | SE Face (to 5200m) |
| Route 2 | S Ridge (to 7120m) |
| Route 3 | - |
| Route 4 | - |
| Nationality | Japan |
| Leaders | Takeshi Komatsu |
| Sponsor | Nepal-Japan Joint Expedition to Mt. Cho Oyu |
| Success 1 | False |
| Success 2 | False |
| Success 3 | False |
| Success 4 | False |
| Ascent 1 | - |
| Ascent 2 | - |
| Ascent 3 | - |
| Ascent 4 | - |
| Claimed | False |
| Disputed | False |
| Countries | Nepal |
| Approach | Lukla->Gokyo->Lungsampa Glacier |
| Basecamp Date | 1981-04-11 |
| Summit Date | 1981-05-21 |
| Summit Time | - |
| Summit Days | 40 |
| Total Days | 0 |
| Termination Date | - |
| Termination Reason | 4 |
| Termination Notes | - |
| High Point (m) | 7120 |
| Traverse | False |
| Ski | False |
| Paraglide | False |
| Camps | 6 |
| Fixed Rope (m) | 0 |
| Total Members | 42 |
| Summit Members | 0 |
| Member Deaths | 0 |
| Total Hired | 0 |
| Summit Hired | 0 |
| Hired Deaths | 0 |
| No Hired | True |
| O2 Used | False |
| O2 None | True |
| O2 Climb | False |
| O2 Descent | False |
| O2 Sleep | False |
| O2 Medical | False |
| O2 Taken | False |
| O2 Unknown | False |
| Other Summits | Climbed Lungsampa (LSAM) |
| Campsites | BC(11/04,5150m),C1A(14/04,5200m),C1B(23/04,5600m),C2(27/04,5950m),C3(04/05,6350m),C4(09/05,6450m),C5(17/05,6850m),C6(21/05,7120m),xxx(7120m) |
| Route Notes | C6 placed on 21 May at 7120m but not occupied; this expedition's highest point. Messner - 19 March 82 Japanese route in Spring 1981 = SE Face (mountain has two faces on Nepalese side: SW & SW Faces). Ohmri T. Komatsu, et al - 5 June 81 BC on 11 April on Lungsampa Glacier at 5150m. C1 at 5200m on 14 April for east route, at point just south of "L" in black on Schneider map of Lungsampa. Route changed because very dangerous: every day big avalanche of snow and ice; icefall was not so difficult but dangerous. Route changed to South Ridge; BC same but C1 changed. New C1 - 23 April at 5600m on South Ridge C2 - 27 Apr - 5950m C3 - 4 May - 6350m C4 - 9 May - 6450m C5 - 17 May - 6850m C6 - 21 May - 7120m (but not slept in at all) New C1 to C4 of point 6500m and atmost at this point Max altitude 7120m = C6 just above "U" west point 7110m 22 May tried to go up to C6, but bad weather prevented reaching it: every day it snowed. No one very reached C6 again. After 4 days waiting to be able to go up, decided to stop climb. C6 is still there. No accidents or frostbite. Doubt Austria-Germany scaled South Face because its very difficult and dangerous from daily avalanche. Same possibility via East Face especially in post-monsoon. No sign of previous climbers on South Face, a route east of Japanese route. South Ridge is possible if had many days good weather. Need at least C7 and maybe C8, very long route. Same difficult below 6500m and above 7200m (above 7200m difficult rock ridge). Shailendra Sharma, Tourism - 24 May 81 C5 22 May 7200m, weather bad on 23rd, no plans of summit. Otsu - 6 May 81 Cho Oyu expedition changed route because of too many avalanches; not so difficult. Shailendra Sharma - 4 May 81 Cho Oyu route changed: reason not known why changed; thinks because of difficulty. No camp information at all. Kamatsu, Yoshio & Ohmori - 23 Feb 81 Route = East Face = new route Approach via Gokyo Pokhari and Lungsampa Glacier. BC at about "p" of L. Glacier on Schneider Khumbu map at 5250m 5 camps above BC (see leaflet for altitudes). East Face is snow face. Icefall above BC to C2 (C2 = ABC above icefall). Most difficult area is C3 to C4 because of hanging glacier; "little danger" from hanging says deputy leader. Half members use no oxygen and others will use it because women and old who use it sleeping in C5 and to summit. 29 Japanese members. 12 Nepalese members including 3 Sherpas. No Sherpas above BC who are not members. 26 Japanese now in KTM and 3 arrive today. Leave KTM 27 or 28 Feb by air to Lukla. Arrive BC 20 March after acclimatization in route. Summit early May: 1-10 May So many members because want give training for other peaks including Lhotse and Everest in 3-4 years. Komatsu x 2 - 14 April 81 3 Japanese and 3 Nepalese members are now in KTM; go to Lukla tomorrow and take 15 days to reach BC (acclimatizing en route). Others in Gokyo; made BC on 11 April. Summit after 35-40 days. Total 11 Nepalese members. Yogendra Thapa - 14 April 81 Total 12 Nepalese members Cho Oyu 11 Nepalese members: Yogendra Thapa, joint Leader Mingma Tenzing Kamal Bhandari Gupta Bahadur Rana + new members not yet decided by the above. 11 total |
| Accidents | - |
| Achievement | - |
| Agency | - |
| Commercial Route | False |
| Standard Route | - |
| Primary Route | False |
| Primary Member | False |
| Primary Reference | - |
| Primary ID | - |
| Checksum | 2450372 |
| Year | 1981 |
| Summit Success | False |
| O2 Summary | None |
| Route (lowercase) | se face (to 5200m) |
Members
42 recorded members.
| Name | Sex | Year of Birth | Citizenship | Status | Residence | Occupation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yoshinaga Fujioka | M | 1953 | Japan | Climber | Tokyo, Japan | Construction worker | Details Other expeditions |
| Kazuo Fusejima | M | 1949 | Japan | Climber | Kasukabe, Saitama, Japan | Physician | Details Other expeditions |
| Hitotsu Hara | M | 1951 | Japan | Climber | Komagane, Nagano, Japan | Watchmaker | Details Other expeditions |
| Masahiko Komatsu | M | 1954 | Japan | Climber | Tokyo, Japan | Staff member, trading company | Details Other expeditions |
| Takeshi Komatsu | M | 1937 | Japan | Leader | Tokyo, Japan | Director of printing company | Details Other expeditions |
| Yutaka Kudo | M | 1947 | Japan | Climber | Inakadate, Minamitsugaru, Aomori, Japan | Railway ticket collector | Details Other expeditions |
| Masafumi Kurita | M | 1951 | Japan | Climber | Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan | Draftsman | Details Other expeditions |
| Masayoshi Makanae | M | 1941 | Japan | Climber | Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan | Agricultural engineer | Details Other expeditions |
| Yorimoto Mikami | M | 1951 | Japan | Climber | Tokyo, Japan | Staff member, municipal office | Details Other expeditions |
| Sachio Miyanaga | M | 1948 | Japan | Climber | Kyoto, Japan | Interior decorator | Details Other expeditions |
| Hajime Muramatsu | M | 1947 | Japan | Climber | Shizuoka-shi, Shizuoka, Japan | Worker in motorcar factory | Details Other expeditions |
| Itsuo Muroi | M | 1957 | Japan | Climber | Tokyo, Japan | Sake wine dealer | Details Other expeditions |
| Junji Naito | M | 1948 | Japan | Climber | Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka, Japan | Building designer | Details Other expeditions |
| Takeshi Namatame | M | 1958 | Japan | Climber | Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan | University student (veterinary medicine) | Details Other expeditions |
| Hiroshi Oda | M | 1951 | Japan | Climber | Osaka, Japan | Building designer | Details Other expeditions |
| Masaaki Ogata | M | 1954 | Japan | Climber | Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan | Works in mountain lodge as jack of all trades | Details Other expeditions |
| Masahisa Ohno | M | 1952 | Japan | Climbing Leader | Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan | Computer parts buyer | Details Other expeditions |
| Shinji Okui | M | 1954 | Japan | Climber | Toyama-shi, Toyama, Japan | Service engineer on typewriters and other business machines | Details Other expeditions |
| Emiko Okutani | F | 1954 | Japan | Climber | Funaba-shi, Chiba, Japan | Nurse | Details Other expeditions |
| Yoshihiko Omori | M | 1945 | Japan | Climber | Tosa, Kochi, Japan | Assistant professor of physical education in university | Details Other expeditions |
| Kosaku Suda | M | 1941 | Japan | Climber | Niiza, Saitama, Japan | Carpenter | Details Other expeditions |
| Tadashi Suzuki | M | 1949 | Japan | Climber | Obuse, Nagano, Japan | Motorcar-repairs technician | Details Other expeditions |
| Tetsuji Suzuki | M | 1948 | Japan | Climber | Ryuyocho, Iwate, Shizuoka, Japan | Steel worker | Details Other expeditions |
| Daisuke Taketsugu | M | 1955 | Japan | Climber | Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan | Physical therapist | Details Other expeditions |
| Toshihito Yamada | M | 1952 | Japan | Climber | Kosugi, Toyama, Japan | Insurance company clerk | Details Other expeditions |
| Hiroshi Yamaguchi | M | 1951 | Japan | Climber | Tomobe, Ibaraki, Japan | Stationery salesman | Details Other expeditions |
| Tateo Yamanaka | M | 1948 | Japan | Climber | Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan | Director of construction company | Details Other expeditions |
| Hideki Yatsuhashi | M | 1952 | Japan | Climber | Myoko-kogen, Niigata, Japan | Sake wine dealer | Details Other expeditions |
| Hiroshi Yoshio | M | 1937 | Japan | Deputy Leader | Funaba-shi, Chiba, Japan | Staff member, fish market | Details Other expeditions |
| Yogendra Bahadur Thapa | M | 1948 | Nepal | Leader | Gandako Anchal, Kaski, Gandaki Zone | Nepal Police | Details Other expeditions |
| Gupta Bahadur Rana | M | 1945 | Nepal | Deputy Leader | Gundhar, Pokhara | Government service | Details Other expeditions |
| Kamal Bhandari | M | - | Nepal | Climber | Anchal, Rupandehi, Lumbini Zone | Government service | Details Other expeditions |
| Gore Tamang | M | - | Nepal | Climber | Suwarapani, Gorkha, Gandaki Zone | Government service | Details Other expeditions |
| Gita Bahadur Joshi | M | 1958 | Nepal | Climber | Taluwa, Okhaldhunga | Government service | Details Other expeditions |
| Phul Bahadur Rai | M | - | Nepal | Climber | Jubacheme, Solukhumbu | Government service | Details Other expeditions |
| Mingma Tenzing Sherpa | M | - | Nepal | Climber | Thami, Khumbu | Government service | Details Other expeditions |
| Tendi Sherpa | M | - | Nepal | Climber | Solukhumbu | Government service | Details Other expeditions |
| Madan Rai | M | - | Nepal | Climber | Diktel, Khotang | Government service | Details Other expeditions |
| Hum Bahadur Nagarkoti | M | - | Nepal | Climber | Gorkha, Gandaki | Government service | Details Other expeditions |
| Jit Bahadur Thapa | M | - | Nepal | Climber | Gorkha, Gandaki | Government service | Details Other expeditions |
| Karna Bahadur Gurung | M | - | Nepal | Climber | Gumda, Gorkha, Gandaki | Government service | Details Other expeditions |
| Shigehiko Toyoda | M | 1928 | Japan | Leader | Tokyo, Japan | Director of institute teaching mountaineering & skiing | Details Other expeditions |
References
5 recorded references.
| Expedition ID | Journal | Author | Title | Publisher | Citation | Yak 94 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHOY81101 | AAJ | Cheney, Michael J. & Hawley, Elizabeth | - | - | 56:220 (1982) | - |
| CHOY81101 | MM | - | - | - | 80:12 (Jul 1981) | - |
| CHOY81101 | IWA | - | - | - | 88:187-188 (1982) | - |
| CHOY81101 | IWA | - | - | - | 88:43-44 (1982) | - |
| CHOY81101 | - | - | http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12198222003/Asia-Nepal-Cho-Oyu-Attempt | - | - | - |