TravelTips24 : Japan : Honshu : Tohoku : Yamagata : Dewa Sanzan

Dewa Sanzan

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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;

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This page was last edited at 02:10, on 13 December 2008 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.

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