Hikers have become lost in accidents after being misled by ニセ金庫岩, going straight into a subsidiary ridge during the descent where they should have turned right. There are warning signs and ropes, so check your direction carefully on a map when hiking.

ニセ金庫岩 These conditions are still okay, but if the fog gets thicker, neither 金庫岩 nor ニセ金庫岩 may be visible.

I never go there, but since human lives are at stake, I think it would be okay to remove it. Though there seem to be more people who would rather avoid altering something natural than prioritize human lives.

20250911「ニセ金庫岩」. It is slightly smaller and more elongated than the real 「金庫岩」, but they are difficult to tell apart on first sight, and several past incidents of hikers becoming lost (including a famous case) are thought to have resulted from mistaking this one for the real one. The hiking trail winds between the real and false rocks. Especially on the descent, you should first pass to the left of the real one and then turn right before the false one. But if thick fog causes you to miss the real one and mistakenly continue straight around the left of the false one, you will be led into the wilderness at the southern foot of the mountain and be unable to return. Because so many hikers became lost, there are now warnings using signs, painted marks, ropes, and so on, making it somewhat safer. I have included a photo taken near the summit showing the relative positions of the real rock, the false rock, and the hiking trail. Please take care.

Is this where the SOS incident happened in 1989?