The Most Popular Destination in Japan You've Never Heard Of
The pilgrim's lodge village of Toge on Haguro-san
Kia ora Koutou, Tim Bunting Kiwi Yamabushi here bringing you concepts, life advice, and hiking guides straight from the mountains of Japan.
For the uninitiated it’s hard to fathom. However, it’s possible to drive to the summit of Haguro-san (AKA Mt. Haguro).
That’s right.
I hate to break it to you, but you don’t have to climb the 2,446 stone steps along the synonymous cedar forest to get your fix of divine blessings on Haguro-san.
You can just drive there.
Besides those who have difficulty walking, why would you though?
The walk amongst Haguro-san’s cedar forest is one of the most unforgettable parts of the famed Dewa Sanzan, the three sacred mountains of Dewa here in the middle of Yamagata Prefecture; Haguro-san, Gassan, and Yudono-san.
In fact, the walk up Haguro-san is so unforgettable that Michelin labeled it ‘worth going out of your way for’ in their Green Guide Japan.
That’s right. A tire company is telling you to walk up a mountain.
Hold my matcha tea latte. I have a mountain to climb.
Michelin knows what’s up. More than you’d think, too.
People have been walking not only on, but to, Haguro-san and the Dewa Sanzan mountains for centuries.
And when I say walking, I mean walking.
And walking.
And walking.
Picture a world without modern transport. A world with no trains, planes, busses, bicycles, or even cars. A world where if you wanted to go somewhere, the only way to do it (well, besides riding a horse, or a cow for that matter) was to walk there on your own two feet.
You know. The Past.
That time from before now.
From the early Edo period, namely the 17th century, word got out that the three sacred mountains of Dewa had healing powers unlike anywhere else. Yamabushi had been entering these three peaks for ascetic training for millennia by then, and when they came out they felt ‘reborn’, so to speak.
This promise of rebirth was too much for hordes and hordes of people from all throughout eastern Japan; from Kanagawa and Chiba in the south, all the way up to Aomori in the north.
That’s right.
People religiously (ahem) made tracks to the three sacred mountains from as far away as Edo (modern day Tokyo), and the nearby Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures.
On foot.
That’s like, 400km (250 miles). And only then would you start climbing the sacred mountains, led by a yamabushi of course.
And I don’t mean just one or two people. I mean literal millions.
No wonder Michelin wanted in on this.
It all got a bit too much. So much so, you could fill an entire village with all the guests they were getting.
Which is exactly what they did.
The pilgrim’s lodge village of Toge (toh-geh) at the base of Haguro-san, to be exact.
When established in the 17th century, Toge quite literally was a pilgrim’s lodge village. Of some 400-odd structures in Toge, 336 of them were designated Shukubo, lodges for pilgrims. Plus, the Shukubo had an ingenious system to make sure everyone shared the love (read: load) as well.
It worked like this:
When you arrived in Toge, your first port of call was the Annaijo, AKA the information centre. You would tell the Annaijo your hometown, and they would tell you which Shukubo you stayed in, which was of course determined by where you were from.
They didn’t care who you were
All they cared about was where you were from.
On the surface it’s hard to appreciate just how genius this is. Not only did this system help spread the love, it also built extreme loyalty in the region. Loyalty that exists to this day.
Let me explain.
The system meant you stayed in the exact same place as your ancestors. Not only that, your descendants stayed in the same place too. The Shukubo became an intergenerational home away from home.
And the thing is, the system is still somewhat intact. There are still people who stay in the same pilgrim’s lodges their ancestors stayed in, in some cases up to 20 generations ago!
This is the only place in Japan where such a custom still exists as it did in the 17th century.
However, unfortunately, no one knows how much longer it will last.
The thing is, the people who value such experiences are slowly dying off. Or, more specifically, the Japanese people who value it are dying off. Now the once flourishing pilgrim’s lodge village of Toge is on its last legs. Of the original 336 Shukubo, only 27 remain in operation.
But you can be part of the change.
When you come to north Japan, and I hope you do, make a point of staying in one of the Shukubo in the area. My personal favourites are Daishinbo, or Daishobo. Not only will you get to stay in a place run by a yamabushi, by simply staying there you’re taking part in a tradition dating back hundreds of years. And if you do it right, who knows? You might even create a tradition that lasts hundreds of years.
And if that’s not enough of an incentive, nothing’s stopping you from driving there!
Mānawatia a Matariki
Yesterday was Matariki in New Zealand, the second such time an actual Maori event has been celebrated as a public holiday.
Matariki is eerily similar to Obon, as it includes commemorating and reminiscing on those who have gone before us. It’s also extremely similar in time too, with regions celebrating according to the solar calendar celebrating on July 15.
Thursday also happened to be what would have been my dad’s 70th birthday! (Happy birthday Dad!)
Learn all about the British woman who arrived in Yamagata in true style: On a cow!
One of my favourites from last year, learning all about Japan’s pyramids thanks to a British visitor in the 1870s.
Daily Yamabushi for this Week
In order of popularity, this week’s blog posts were:
Read Daily Yamabushi for free at timbunting.com/blog.
Mountains of Wisdom: Tell Your Mum!
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As always, get more content on the little-known side of Japan and Japanese culture on my blog, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Threads.
And for those of you who haven’t yet:
Ka kite ano.
Tim.
I am studying these mountain confraternities (kō) and I would love to stay on Haguro-san next year! Do you know when the peak season is for Haguro pilgrimages?