Dewa-Sanzan City Travel Video Guide

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A lumpy extinct volcano, Dewa-sanzan faces the Sea of Japan across the famously prolific rice-fields of the Shonai plain. Many people take the road up its first peak, Haguro-san (414m), but it's well worth slogging up the 2446 stone steps, among venerable cedars, to reach the impressive, thatch-roofed Gosaiden , which enshrines the mountain's three deities. Dewa-san's middle shrine perches atop Gas-san (1984m), with spectacular views in clear weather, though otherwise it's the least interesting of the three. So if time is short, you might want to skip round by road to Yudono-jinja , visiting a couple of rather grisly mummified monks en route.

Today Dewa-san and its three shrines fall under the Shinto banner, but the mountain was originally home to one of the colourful offshoots of Esoteric Buddhism, later unified as Shugendo . The worship of Dewa-san dates from the seventh century, when an imperial prince fled to this area following the death of his father. In a vision, a three-legged crow led him to Haguro-san (Black Wing Mountain), where he lived to the ripe old age of 90, developing his unique blend of Shinto, Buddhism and ancient folk-religion. Later the yamabushi , the sect's itinerant mountain priests (literally "the ones who sleep in the mountains"), became famous for their mystic powers and their extreme asceticism - one route to enlightenment consisted of living in caves off a diet of nuts and wild garlic. Though once fairly widespread, the sect dwindled after the mid-nineteenth century, when Shinto reclaimed Japanese mountains for its own. Nevertheless, you'll still find a flourishing community of yamabushi around Dewa-san, kitted-out in their natty checked jacket, white knickerbockers and tiny, black pillbox hat. They also carry a huge conch-shell horn whose

haunting cry summons the gods.

The best time to see yamabushi in action is in Haguro-machi's shukubo and during the various festivals . The biggest annual bash is the Hassaku Matsuri (Aug 24-31), when pilgrims take part in a fire festival on Haguro-san to ensure a bountiful harvest. At New Year Haguro-san is also the venue for a festival of purification, known as the Shoreisai, which combines fire and acrobatic dancing with ascetic rituals.

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