Mount Gassan (Gassan Shrine)

Along with Mount Haguro and Mount Yudono, Mount Gassan is counted as one of the Dewa Sanzan, the Three Sacred Mountains of Dewa. Mount Haguro is regarded as the mountain for praying for happiness in this world (present), Mount Gassan as the mountain for praying for peace after death and rebirth in the Pure Land (past), and Mount Yudono as the mountain for praying for rebirth (future). Visiting all three mountains became popular among common people in the Edo period as a journey of rebirth through the past, present, and future.

Rising at the center of the three mountains, 1,984-meter Mount Gassan is especially beautiful, and at its summit stands Gassan Shrine, dedicated to the guardian deity Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto. It is said to have been founded in 593 and is a shrine with a long history, even being recorded in the Engishiki Jinmyocho compiled in the Heian period. Since the main sanctuary grounds of Gassan Shrine have long been considered a special sacred area, visitors are required to receive a purification ritual before worshipping.

The mountain is open only for a short season, from July to September 15, and after reaching the 8th station by car or bus, visitors continue on foot to the summit. Along the way, you can enjoy mystical scenery such as the Gassan Midagahara Marsh at the 8th station, virgin beech forests, alpine plants, and snowfields. The view from the summit is truly spectacular, overlooking the Shonai Plain, Mount Chokai, the Asahi-Iide mountain range, and even Hachimantai.