Dewa Sanzan

Dewa Sanzan (出羽三山) is in the northern Tōhoku region of the main Japanese island Honshu.

Culture and History

Dewa Sanzan means "Three Mountains of Dewa" and indeed comprises the three sacred mountains of Hagurosan (羽黒山), Gassan (月山) and Yudonosan (湯殿山), clustered together in the ancient province of Dewa (modern-day Yamagata prefecture). Holy to the Japanese Shintō religion and especially the mountain ascetic cult of Shugendō, Dewa Sanzan are a popular pilgrimage site visited by many, including famed haiku poet Matsuo Bashō on his Narrow Road to the Deep North. If you're lucky, you may even spot a yamabushi ascetic pilgrim blowing into a conch shell.

When to go

Hagurosan is accessible all year round, but Gassan and Yudonosan close during winter because of snow. The peak climbing season is short and extends only from July to mid-October. Festivals are held to celebrate the opening and closing of the shrines.

Travel to Dewa Sanzan - Visa Requirements

Regular buses from Tsuruoka (鶴岡; ~40 min; ¥800) connect to Haguro-machi (羽黒町), get off at the "Haguro Center" (羽黒センター) stop for the trailhead. Some buses also continue all the way to the top, taking an extra 10 minutes.

The bus stop is right in front of the Tsuruoka train station. There are 4 different stops served by multiple bus lines, so be careful about which bus you board. You may wish to ask the driver: "Hagurosan ni ikimasu-ka?" (「羽黒山に行きますか。」 "Do you go to Hagurosan?")

The bus schedules for Tsuruoka and surroundings are online (Japanese only).

To get to Hagurosan (and possibly Gassan):

Schedule: Online, notice that most common stations are yellow, as are all of the above. The bus continues on after 15 minutes to Gassan Hachi-Gōme, the starting point for climbing on Mt. Gassan.

Notice that there are special times when the bus does not operate or operates on holiday schedule. These include January 1st thru 3rd (holiday schedule, posted on bus platform). Blue bus times (marked ※) are only in effect July 1st thru August 24th as well as every weekend (Sat & Sun) thereafter until September 21st, and additionally September 15th, 22nd and 23rd. Red bus times (marked 〇) are not in effect on weekends, National Holidays and December 31st thru January 3rd.

On the return leg from Gassan-Hachigōme, you'll have to change buses inside the National Park, i.e. Hagurosan (peak).

Less frequent buses also connect Yudono-san to Yamagata. Note that climbing up on Mt. Gassan and Coming down via the Yudonosan-Trail is possible in a leisurely manner. Climbing all three peaks on the same day will not be possible without minute timing with the buses!

Schedule: Online, again, places of interest are marked yellow.

Notice that there are special times when the bus does not operate or operates on holiday schedule. These include January 1st thru 3rd (holiday schedule, posted on bus platform). Blue bus times (marked ☆) are only in effect April 29th thru November 3rd. Red bus times (marked ▲) are only in effect April 28th thru the end of skiing season on every Sat, Sun and National Holiday, as well as December 28th thru January 3rd. Red bus times (marked 〇) are only in effect on High School school days.

NOTE: Once you get to Tsuruoka, do not expect to find much English. Your journey will be a lot easier if you speak Japanese or have someone with you who does. You can get basic information (in English) at the tourist office in Tsuruoka Station as well as the Haguro Town Map (English).

Tours and Getting around Dewa Sanzan

Buses shuttle from both the top of Hagurosan and the Kyuka-mura stop at the base of the mountain to Gassan Eighth Station. Note that the bus stop is on the other side of the mountain (not in Haguro-machi), take the footpath down (40 min) instead of the road to get to the stop faster.

See & Do

The traditional approach is to hike across all three mountains, although most visitors opt for a bus from Hagurosan to Gassan as the distance is quite long.

Hagurosan

Hagurosan is the most easily accessible of the three sites and the only one that can be visited without some hiking.

• The well-marked trail from the base of Hagurosan winds its way through the forest for a while, passing the beautiful wooden Gojū-no-tō (五重塔 Five-Story Pagoda) along the way. Built some 600 years ago, the pagoda is registered as a National Treasure.
• Soon the ascent of 2446 stone steps starts. Easy to walk and not particularly steep, the climb is tiring in its sheer relentlessness, but you can pause at a pop ular teahousehalfway up for refreshments and get a certificate of climbing up the hard way. This will take around one hour if you're in reasonably good shape and don't dally too much. You can also visit the place where Japanese Poet Bashō wrote one of his many famous poems. Turn right at the cross after the tea house (not up the steps). You will have to backtrack after visiting.
• Hagurosan (a mere 414m) does not have an identifiable peak as such, at one point the trail simply flattens out and after a torii gate you will find yourself on the grounds of the shrine. The main attraction here is the Sanzan Gōsaiden (三山合祭殿), venerating the spirits of all three mountains.

Gassan and Yudonosan

The hike to the top of Gassan and across to Yudonosan is a relaxed full-day hike, thought it should be approached with due respect. Obtain a map of the area from any nearby tourist office before you set out and take heed of weather conditions. With a forecast of rain and without proper rain gear, hiking to the peak cannot only be extremely uncomfortable (you will get soaked) but dangerous as well with high speed wind gusts, slippery rocks, and very cool temperatures near the top.

• Buses deposit passengers at Gassan Eighth Station (月山八合目, Gassan Hachigōme, ~1400m), from where it's a fairly easy two and a half-hour hike 500m vertically up the mountain through rolling plains often shrouded in mist.

• The peak of Gassan (月山頂上, 1984m) features the simple Gassan Shrine (月山神社). Entry costs ¥500 but includes quick purification by the resident Shintō priest.

• If you continue the trail across the peak and down, keeping to the right when the trail splits, you will after 45 minutes encounter a last split where one trail continues up to the peak of Yudonosan (~1500m).

• The real fun starts on the other trail to the right, which climbs down to Yudonosan Shrine (湯殿山神社 yudonosan jinja), which is considerably steeper and in places equipped with steel ladders to climb down, though most of these were recently rebuilt. The time down from the trail split is one hour 20 minutes.

• The reward for your efforts is Yudonosan Shrine (湯殿山神社 yudonosan jinja), the holiest shrine of the three. Photography is prohibited and so is telling outsiders what you have witnessed - so Wikitravel shall not spoil the surprise!

• The Yudonosan parking area and bus stop with a variety or eateries is only a short walk from the shrine.

• Note that buses departing Gassan and Yudonosan are few and far between, so plan your day accordingly. The last bus back to Tsuruoka train station leaves Gassan at 4:00pm and Yudonosan at 4:30pm.

Ōami

You may want to stop by bus at Ōami and visit the Dainichibō Temple (大日坊) or the Chūrenji Temple (注連寺). To get there, take the Yudonosan leg bus and get off at Ōami.

• Dainichibō Temple(大日坊), (Backtrack to the street before the bus stop (if you are at the bus stop, go to the street right of the vending machines) and continue uphill for about 5 minutes. You'll see a big gate, that's the temple entrance.), [1]. Offers a priest's remains and various other interesting trophies. English is not well spoken and no pamphlet is available, however, everybody will be nice and comforting while showing you around. 
• Chūrenji Temple(注連寺), (Continue the street following the bus, turn right at the big intersection and walk for about 20 minutes into the foresty road to get to Chūrenji.), [2]. Offers another buddhist priest that starved himself to death while praying. Though this one is said to have been a criminal before becoming a priest. 

Remember that buses are not frequent and your time table might not work out, especially, because you will most likely be integrated into a tour of either temple (even while not speaking Japanese). Both temples offer a Buddhist priest's earthly remains after they starved to death while praying and are believed to have become buddhas themselves.

Buy, Eat & Drink

Bring plenty of water for Gassan/Yudonosan, as there is little to be had along the trail. There are places to eat at the 8th and the 9th station and on the top of top of Gassan. Accommodation is also available at the 8th station and in a mountain hut near the Gassan summit; reserve in advance if you want to be assured a place for the night.

There is a small shopping center near the Yudonosan bus stop below the temple, which has a number of restaurants and many souvenir shops.

Dewa Sanzan cheap and luxurious hotels, youth hostels and lodging

Most pilgrims opt to stay in the town of Haguro-machi, at the foot of the mountain. There are over 30 shukubo here offering basic lodgings.

Regardless of where you stay, though, you must arrive before the dinner hour or you will have a difficult time finding a place that is open. The best way is to call in advance and make a reservation (most places are Japanese only). This writer would like to stress that while staying in a traditional shukubo is a wonderful way to do this journey, it will be very difficult if you don't speak Japanese or have someone with you who does.

• Saikan(斎館), ☎ 0235-62-2355. Saikan is the sole pilgrim's lodging at the top of Haguro-san, left right before you pass under the torii. A fully equipped if somewhat large and impersonal, but beautifully placed, ryokan with space for over 300, one night's stay with breakfast only starts at ¥7000, which is a real treat as special monk food is served. Since the Saikan staff primarily speak Japanese only, you can request that Japanese Guest Houses, a free service, help you arrange the reservation. 

This page was last edited by freakrom@gmail.com. Based on work by Mervyn Han, Nicholas Timperon, Brett, Jani Patokallio, Jose Ramos and Michele Ann Jenkins, Wikitravel user(s) Morph and WindHorse and Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. - Content on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 license