Dewa Sanzan
Dewa Sanzan, The Three Sacred Mountains Of Haguro, Gassan And Yudono In Yamagata, A Shugendo (Mountain Ascetic) Pilgrimage With A 2,446 Step Cedar Lined Stone Stair Up Mount Haguro. Haguro Is Open Most Of The Year; Gassan And Yudono Close Under Snow. · Tsuruoka, Yamagata
Dewa Sanzan is the name for three sacred mountains in Yamagata - Haguro, Gassan and Yudono - that together form a pilgrimage of the Shugendo tradition, in which mountain priests called yamabushi train in the hills. Most visitors only do Mount Haguro, the easy one: a cedar avenue and a stone stair, often cited as 2,446 steps, rises from the Zuishinmon gate to the summit shrine, which enshrines all three mountains. A five-storey pagoda stands on the way, and it is a National Treasure. The stair takes about an hour up, and a road and bus reach the top for those who skip the climb. Gassan is a summer-only climb with deep snow into July, and Yudono has a barefoot ritual at its shrine. This is a regional add-on, not a headline sight. It is worth the detour for walkers who like quiet forest and a living religious tradition, and less so for anyone short of time. Many pilgrims sleep in a temple lodging with vegetarian food. Bears live in these mountains.
Mount Haguro, Haguro-machi, Tsuruoka, Yamagata, with the main trailhead at Zuishinmon gate; Mount Gassan and Mount Yudono lie further inland, Tsuruoka, Yamagata, Japan
Mount Haguro can be climbed on foot at any daylight hour for most of the year, and the stair is free to walk, though shrine buildings and the pagoda area keep daytime hours, roughly to 16:30 or 17:00 - confirm. Snow closes Gassan and Yudono roughly November to May, and the Gassan climb opens only in summer. Reach the Haguro trailhead by bus from Tsuruoka Station, a ride of about 25 to 40 minutes - confirm the timetable, because the last bus down is early. A second bus goes to the summit. Temple lodging (shukubo) with vegetarian meals should be booked ahead, especially for summer weekends and Obon. Carry cash, since small shrine stalls and lodgings often do not take cards.