Japan Guide
Northern Honshū
Dewa-sanzan
A lumpy extinct volcano with three peaks, Dewa-sanzan faces the Sea of Japan across the famously prolific rice fields of the Shōnai plain. Many people take the road up its first peak, Haguro-san (414m), but it's well worth slogging up the 2446 stone steps from the bus stop, among venerable cedars, to reach the impressive, thatched roof Gosaiden, which enshrines the deities of each of the three mountains. 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 mountains. If time is short, you might want to skip round by road to Yudono-jinja, on the third peak, 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 Shugendō. You'll still find a flourishing community of yamabushi around Dewa-san, kitted out in their natty checked jackets, white knickerbockers and tiny, black pillbox hats. They also carry a huge conch-shell horn, the haunting cry of which summons the gods.
There are various ways of tackling Dewa-san, depending on the time of year and how much walking you want to do. The recommended route, described opposite, involves climbing Haguro-san on the first day and then continuing via Gas-san to Yudono-jinja on the second. From there you can either head straight back to Tsuruoka or spend the night in a shukubō and visit the Ōami temples the next day. However, note that Gassan-jinja and Yudono-jinja are only open in summer (July to mid-Sept & May– Oct); the path itself stays open longer, depending on the weather.
If possible, try to spend at least one night at a shukubō (temple lodging) while visiting Dewa-san. There are at least thirty in Haguro-machi's Tōge district, including a number of traditional thatched-roof inns, each run by a yamabushi; you may well be invited to attend a prayer service, involving a lot of conch-blowing and a ritual fire. Prices don't vary much and they all serve the exquisite shōjin-ryōri (Buddhist vegetarian cuisine) favoured by yamabushi.