Dewa Sanzan, Pt. 1

This past weekend I finally made it over to Yamagata Prefecture to check out Dewa Sanzan, a group of three sacred mountains (Haguro-san, Gas-san, and Yudono-san), holy to the Japanese Shinto religion. It had been on the "to-do-before-I-leave" list for some time...

On Saturday morning, along with my good friends Aaron and Michelle, I left Naruko and headed west into Yamagata, a beautiful drive through the central mountain range of northern Japan. It had been quite awhile since I had done a road trip, it felt great to be in the car again with friends, windows open, music blaring, and an abundance of snack foods.

With only minimal wrong turns (while Japanese road maps have route numbers, very few roads are actually sign posted), we made it to the visitor center at the base of Haguro-san (Black Feather Mountain). A friendly attendant chatted briefly with us, made a reservation for us at a nearby inn, and situated us with a map.



The path to the top of Haguro begins beneath a large red gatehouse. Passing through the gate, one is immediately immersed in old, primary forest--a breathtaking start, as if stepping into another realm. Much of Japan's native forest has been replaced with a mono-culture cedar, so it was a bit of a shock to see such a variety of trees and underbrush again. We were in such awe, we made it but a few steps before pulling out our cameras and snapping away.



From the gate, a stone pathway with some 2500 steps lead to the top of Haguro, where a collection of Shinto shrines await. Along the way, one passes by many other small shrines, an enormous pagoda, a 1400 year old cedar, a rest station with tea and snack service, and some truly beautiful, dense woods.



Reaching the summit, we passed through another red torii (gate), and found a large group of Japanese pilgrims, clad all in white, who were paying homage to the deities of the mountain.



Aaron, Michelle, and I strolled the grounds, snapping photos and mostly ignorant of the religious history of the mountain. However, for me, the ascent through the old woods was indeed spiritual and meditative. Amazing how one's mind wanders in the forest...



After a quick noodle lunch at one of the restaurant/gift shops, we returned down the mountain, lost again the trees and conversation, interrupted only by the chance to give encouragement to those still climbing in the late afternoon.