Japan Heritage story
Dewa Sanzan: the journey of rebirth across three mountains
自然と信仰が息づく『生まれかわりの旅』
In Yamagata, three sacred mountains stand for the present, the past and the future. Walking all three is a journey of rebirth that has drawn pilgrims for centuries, starting with 2,446 stone steps through giant cedars.
Key facts
- Theme
- Forests and timber, Festivals and rituals, Food and sake
- Era
- Edo
- Region
- Tohoku
- Official name in Japanese
- 自然と信仰が息づく『生まれかわりの旅』
- Official subtitle in Japanese
- ～樹齢300年を超える杉並木につつまれた2,446段の石段から始まる出羽三山～
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 山形県（鶴岡市，西川町，庄内町）
The story
Dewa Sanzan is the name for Mt Haguro (414 m), Mt Gassan (1,984 m) and Mt Yudono (1,500 m). About 1,400 years ago Prince Hachiko is said to have opened Mt Haguro, which became a great centre of Shugendo, Japan's mountain faith. In this tradition, Haguro is the mountain of the present, where you pray for this life; Gassan, where the spirits of ancestors rest, is the mountain of the past; and Yudono, with its hot red rock, is the mountain of the future and rebirth. In the Edo period, ordinary people took up the walk as a journey of rebirth.
What to see
- Haguro's stone steps: 2,446 steps over about 2 km, under cedars 300 to 500 years old.Google Maps 羽黒山 石段 (opens in a new tab)
- Grandpa Cedar and the five-storey pagoda: a tree over 1,000 years old beside an unpainted pagoda that is a National Treasure.
- Sanjin Gosaiden: the summit hall on Haguro, with a 2.1 m thick thatched roof, where all three mountains' gods are honoured.Google Maps 出羽三山神社 三神合祭殿 (opens in a new tab)
- Mida-ga-hara: an alpine marsh on Gassan, likened to paradise, full of mountain flowers.
- Yudono: pilgrims take off their shoes to touch the warm sacred rock.
Plan your trip with the Yamagata prefecture guide, and see more nature and shrines and temples.
Good to know
- In winter Gassan and Yudono are snowed in, so the summit hall on Haguro is where you can honour all three.
- The Haguro steps take time; wear good shoes and go early in the day to enjoy the quiet.
- Gassan's summit trail has steep rocky sections, so treat it as a real mountain hike.
Questions travellers ask
What is Dewa Sanzan?
Three sacred mountains in Yamagata, Haguro, Gassan and Yudono, which stand for the present, the past and the future.
How many steps are on Mt Haguro?
2,446 stone steps over about 2 km, from the Zuishinmon gate to the summit.
Where it comes from
More heritage stories from the same area
Local foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.