Nisshō Pass

Overview

Nisshō Pass is a Category 2 road climb in Japan (JP) that runs for 15.3 km from a start elevation of 356 m to a summit at 1,000 m. Its net elevation gain is 644 m, and its average gradient sits at 4.21 percent — numbers that suggest a steady, moderate ascent rather than a wall.

That average is misleading. The total ascent over the climb is 1,178 m, well beyond the 644 m of net gain. The difference — 534 m — is climbing you do and then give back on descents and dips along the way. In practice this means Nisshō Pass is an undulating road, not a single continuous grind. You pay for elevation you do not keep, so the effort is punchier and less rhythmic than the headline gradient implies.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The 4.21 percent average hides both recovery and bite. With 534 m of climbing offset by descents, long stretches roll rather than rise, then kick up sharply. The steepest ramp reaches 21.05 percent — a pitch that demands you are not already redlined when you hit it.

• Flatter and downhill recovery sections where you can spin, refuel, and reset
• Repeated short climbs stacked back to back, each undoing the descent before it
• A steep ramp up to 21.05 percent — the moment that decides whether your legs hold

Pacing Notes

On an undulating climb like this, chasing even speed is a trap: you overspend on the ramps and coast the descents, wrecking your rhythm. Aim instead for even effort. Hold a controlled, repeatable sustainable power output through the rises and let your speed climb on the flatter and downhill sections rather than forcing the pace there.

The 21.05 percent ramp is where even-effort pacing breaks down — you will need a surge. Bank nothing before it. If you do not know your ceiling, run the FTP estimator first so you can set a target you can actually sustain across all 15.3 km.

Gearing

The 21.05 percent maximum gradient governs your gearing choice, not the gentle average. On a pitch that steep, undergearing forces you into damaging, slow-cadence grinding. Fit a compact or sub-compact chainset paired with a wide-range cassette — something like a 34×32 or 34×34 — so you keep a workable cadence when the road stands up.

Check your setup before the ride. Confirm the cassette and chainset you have can actually deliver that low gear; discovering you are overgeared on the steepest ramp is a mistake you cannot fix mid-climb.

Summary

• Length: 15.3 km
• Average gradient: 4.21%
• Maximum gradient: 21.05%
• Net elevation gain: 644 m
• Total ascent: 1,178 m
• Category: 2

Nisshō Pass rewards riders who respect the gap between its net gain and its total ascent. Pace by effort, gear for the steepest ramp, and treat the rolling terrain as a series of repeated climbs rather than one steady road.