Japan's Mountain of Death: Mt. Gassan

Mt. Gassan, the Dewa Sanzan’s “Mountain of Death”: The tallest Dewa Sanzan peak with a thriving Haguro Shugendo Yamabushi culture.

Join Tim Bunting AKA the Kiwi Yamabushi on an epic two-day hike traversing Mt. Gassan to Mt. Yudono led by Yamabushi Master Hayasaka of Daishinbo pilgrim lodge on Mt. Haguro.

The belief of Mt. Gassan as the resting place of our souls, the sheer devotion of the millions who have paid their respects to lost loved ones there while praying for their own safe journey, and the peak’s resemblance to the other realm have all given Mt. Gassan a reputation as the mountain of death.

Mt. Gassan is simultaneously one of the most beautiful, and most harrowing mountains of Tohoku, let alone Japan. Symbolising the Pure Land created by Amitābha Buddha, the Buddha of Immeasurable Light and Life and principal Buddha in Pure Land Buddhism, and at the same time the Shinto Kami (deity) of the night and the moon, Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, Mt. Gassan is believed to be our souls’ destination when we pass on to the other world.

For millennia, generations have flocked to the Dewa Sanzan’s tallest peak to show their appreciation to the ancestors and pray for their own safe journey into the next world. Not to mention, the alpine environment of Mt. Gassan is eerily similar to the heaven depicted in Hollywood movies; picture hundreds of metres of solid snow and thick fog as far as the eye can see, so the mountain is not just symbolically, but also physically, representative of the world of the afterlife. This representation helped the peak gain status as one of the top 100 Famous Mountains of Japan, and of course Yamagata Prefecture.

Mt. Gassan (月山がっさん) is a 1984m (6509 ft.) peak in the Murayama and Shonai regions of Yamagata prefecture. Mt. Gassan is open for hiking from July to mid-October. Mt. Gassan is a level 3 in terms of physical demand, which means it is moderate to hike, has a A technical grade, which means it requires little expertise, and you want to allow at least 5 hours for a climb.

See my free detailed article on Mt. Gassan, the Dewa Sanzan's "Mountain of Death" at https://timbunting.com/gassan or my 100 Famous Mountains of Yamagata project at https://www.timbunting.com/mountains.

Other mountains from the 100 Famous Mountains of Yamagata project:

Explore the Yamabushi Trails of Mt. Kinbo
   • How NOT to climb this ancient peak  

Sakura Mountain: Mt. Arakura
   • Japan’s Cherry Blossom Mountain  

Forest Bathing on Mt. Takadate
   • Best place for forest bathing in Japan  

The Hidden Side of Haguro
   • MUST-SEE mountain in north Japan  

Conquering Japan on Mt. Nihonkoku
   • This peak was Japan’s border!  

North Japan's Waterfall Wonderland Mt. Atsumi
   • Japan’s waterfall mountain  

The Yamabushi Peak of Sutras: Mt. Kyogakura
   • They buried WHAT on this mountain?  

Hiking North Japan: Mt. Fujikura
   • Why NOT to climb this idyllic peak  

Hiking Japan: Mt. Maya | Mythical Beasts and Buddha's Mother
   • The Magical Legend of Mt. Maya  

I blog daily about my Yamabushi lifestyle at https://www.timbunting.com/blog and post regularly on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok all @kiwiyamabushi.

Support my work on Patreon:
  / kiwiyamabushi​  

You can join authentic Yamabushi training with Yamabushido. Visit https://www.Yamabushido.jp​​

Learn about the Dewa Sanzan (where I became an official Yamabushi) with this website I made:
https://www.dewasanzan.com​

You can stay at Daishinbo pilgrim lodge on Mt. Haguro run by Master Hayasaka, more information here:
https://dewasanzan.com/accommodation-...

With enough advanced planning, you can also join this experience led by Master Hayasaka. Get in touch for more details.

Learn about becoming a Yamabushi in this video:
   • Unraveling the Mysterious World of Yamabus...  ​​

And my most viewed video is about how Japanese people can be Shinto and Buddhist at the same time:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKo0t...

Any questions or comments please just ask! I also recently started selling Horagai, the Yamabushi conches, if you want one, reach out :)

#dewasanzan #tohoku #japan #gassan #yudonosan