The Spring Ritual Bringing Community Together
Sakura and Mt. Gassan in early spring.
Mt. Gassan is no ordinary mountain.
Known for its immense snowfall, it boasts the latest ski season in Japan, opening in April when most of the country has long since thawed. The snow is so heavy the mountain becomes inaccessible in winter. During that time, the Kami (deity) of Mt. Gassan resides in Sanjingosaiden, The Hall of The Three Kami at the summit of Mt. Haguro.
Each spring, in a ritual called Haruyama Daisan (春山代参, lit. Spring Mountain Pilgrimage), a group of about 20 people return the Kami to its rightful home atop Mt. Gassan. This centuries-old tradition, passed down since at least the Edo period (1603–1868), marks not only the symbolic end of winter but also the start of the planting season.
The Journey Begins
The group gathers outside Dewa Sanzan Jinja's office at the base of Mt. Haguro.
Haruyama Daisan is not for the faint of heart.
Clad in white, bamboo staffs with bells in hand, the group gathers at Dewa Sanzan Shrine Office in Toge, at the base of Mt. Haguro. Their mission is unlike any other: to return the Kami of Mt. Gassan to its sacred summit.
A bus takes them as far as the road allows. From there, it’s all on foot. After a brief stop for some prayers and a bite to eat at Gassan’s Eighth Station, the climb begins in earnest.
The bus takes the group as far as possible.
The rest is on foot!
Walking on the heavy snow of Gassan in Spring.
Praying to the Kami
Tak from the Yamabushido Team plays his conch to start the prayers.
At the summit shrine, Shinto norito prayers are offered requesting a safe season and bountiful harvest in the coming year. Returning the Kami to its home above the clouds symbolizes the restoration of harmony between humans, nature, and the divine.
Then the group presses on to Mt. Yudono Shrine, navigating perilous cliffs along the way. The route is steep and exposed, a reminder that this is no symbolic gesture, but a physically demanding act of devotion. From there, a bus picks the group up, and takes them to their shrine lodging at the summit of Mt. Haguro.
Returning to Toge
The shrine at the summit of Gassan barely visible under all that snow.
At dawn, the group descends the 2,446 stone steps of Haguro-san where a remarkable scene awaits them. In a ceremony called Saka-mukae, the locals dress up in their best attire and line the streets to welcome the group home while celebrating the safe return of the Kami to the mountains.
Much like in yamabushi training, the group returns to Toge transformed with a clearer mind, a stronger heart, and a renewed connection to the forces that sustain life.
Locals welcome the team back to Toge.
Yamabushido programs invite you to walk the same sacred paths, learn from local masters, and immerse yourself in the living traditions of Dewa Sanzan, just like Haruyama Daisan.
