It has been 70 years since the first successful ascent of Mount Manaslu, the world’s eighth-highest mountain and Nepal’s seventh-highest peak. On 9 May 1956, Japanese climber Toshio Imanishi and Indian climber Jalzen Norbu Sherpa successfully reached the 8,163-meter summit for the first time.

 Two days later, on May 11, Japanese climbers Minoru Higeta and Kiichiro Kato also climbed the mountain. The expedition was led by Japanese mountaineer Yoku Maki, though he did not reach the summit according to the Department of Tourism records.

After the first ascent, no one climbed Manaslu for 15 years, and expeditions resumed only in 1971. On 22 April 1973, Nepali climber Urgen Tshering Sherpa became the first Nepali to successfully summit the mountain.

According to the Department of Tourism’s 2025 statistics, 3,643 people climbed Manaslu, while 9,077 climbers have reached the summit of Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain.

To mark the 70th anniversary of the first ascent, Diamond Jubilee celebrations were recently organized in Gorkha and Pokhara by Chumanubri Rural Municipality in coordination with the Nepal Mountaineering Association and the Manaslu Conservation Area Project. During the ceremony, statues of Toshio Imanishi and Urgen Tshering Sherpa were unveiled.

Chief Minister Surendra Raj Pandey, village chief Nima Lama, and other officials honored Kunio Imanishi, grandson Rasouke Imanishi, and the son of Urgen Tshering Sherpa with certificates and traditional dosallas. Climbers Mingmar Tshering Lama, Nangsyal Cheden, and Diki Lama were also recognized. A 3D photo of Mount Manaslu was unveiled during a separate event in Pokhara organized by the Nepal Mountaineering Association.