Visited 13.10.2015 (Tue)
2nd attraction visited during sightseeing taxi trip.
Challenge. After an ascend of 1,000 steps at Yamadera the day before, the next challenge was to conquer Hagurosan 羽黒山, one of the three mountains of Dewa Sanzan, alongside Gassan 月山 and Yudonosan 湯殿山. Our guide gave us two options, either to ascend or descend 2,446 stone steps between Zuishinmon (随神門) and the summit of Hagurosan and we chose the latter which is supposed to be less physically challenging. Wanted very much to visit this sacred place after seeing beautiful photos featuring the dense forest of Japanese cedar and a five storey pagoda, a designated national treasure, surrounded by cedar trees. After completing our cruise ride along Mogamigawa 最上川, our driver ferried us to the summit of Hagurosan, the starting point of our expedition. Unfortunately, the weather was not at its best that day; we had to endure the intermittent drizzling throughout the journey and pay more attention while walking on the wet and slippery stone steps.
Shrine. Upon arriving at the summit, our driver first brought us to Hagurosan Sanjin Gosaiden Shrine 羽黒山三神合祭殿, the central shrine for the three mountains of Dewan Sanzan, with Gassan (the tallest mountain of the three, standing at 1984 m tall) taking the center position, Yudonosan on its left and Hagurosan (the lowest mountain of the three, standing at 414 m tall) on its right. Apart from being a national important cultural property (designated in 2000), some noteworthy features of the shrine include its 2.1 m thick thatched roof and completely lacquered interior.
Lunch. We were arranged to have our lunch at Saikan 斎館, located at the summit of Hagurosan before embarking on our descend. The historical building (a designated cultural property of Tsuruoka city) which Saikan is housed in was converted from a temple and currently provides lodging for pilgrims as well as vegetarian meals. There were a total of seven dishes created using locally produced vegetables and grains - yasai tempura, goma tofu (sesame bean curd), stewed bamboo shoots and abura-age, pickled greens, etc.
Shrine. Upon arriving at the summit, our driver first brought us to Hagurosan Sanjin Gosaiden Shrine 羽黒山三神合祭殿, the central shrine for the three mountains of Dewan Sanzan, with Gassan (the tallest mountain of the three, standing at 1984 m tall) taking the center position, Yudonosan on its left and Hagurosan (the lowest mountain of the three, standing at 414 m tall) on its right. Apart from being a national important cultural property (designated in 2000), some noteworthy features of the shrine include its 2.1 m thick thatched roof and completely lacquered interior.
Lunch. We were arranged to have our lunch at Saikan 斎館, located at the summit of Hagurosan before embarking on our descend. The historical building (a designated cultural property of Tsuruoka city) which Saikan is housed in was converted from a temple and currently provides lodging for pilgrims as well as vegetarian meals. There were a total of seven dishes created using locally produced vegetables and grains - yasai tempura, goma tofu (sesame bean curd), stewed bamboo shoots and abura-age, pickled greens, etc.
Descend. After a hearty and delicious vegetarian lunch, we finally began our descend of Hagurosan. On the other hand, our driver made his way down to Zuishinmon, our final destination for this trail, by car. Before he left, he handed each of us an umbrella to shelter us from the drizzle; which also doubled up as a walking stick for most part of the journey. One trivia which I discovered after I concluded this expedition was that there are 33 different engraving of sake cups, gourds, lotuses and etc, on the stone steps and it is said that your wishes will be fulfill if you can identify all of them during the journey. The route through the cedar forest between the summit and Zuishimon is named Suginamiki 杉並木 which means an avenue of cedar. These tall and sturdy cedar trees, with age span between 350 and 600 years, are designated as national natural monuments. The 1.7 km long path did feel like a never-ending route especially when tiredness set in gradually because I could not make out where it would eventually end from afar. Fortunately, the cooling temperatures and fresh air made the descend felt less arduous and we encouraged each other to push on, hoping to reach our final destination soon.
Pagoda. We reached the final checkpoint - the five storey pagoda of Hagurosan 羽黒山五重塔. Said to be the oldest pagoda in the Tohoku area and designated as a national treasure in 1966, this 29 m tall pagoda was first built in the middle of Heian period (794 - 1185) and was rebuilt 600 years ago. As I walked around the structure, I could not help but awe in admiration at the sophisticated and intricate woodwork displayed on this aesthetically beautiful pagoda.
Nearby to this pagoda stands a 1,000 years old gigantic Japanese cedar named jiji sugi 爺杉 (or elder cedar) and its tree trunk measures 10 m in circumference! Spotted a waterfall named Suga no taki 須賀の滝 in the vicinity. Forming a scenic backdrop with the surroundings, this waterfall is actually a man-made one (as a result of a dam being constructed upstream) and the water falls into Haraigawa 祓川, whose name came about because visitors would cleanse themselves in this river before attempting the ascend in the past.
1000 years old cedar tree.
Nearby to this pagoda stands a 1,000 years old gigantic Japanese cedar named jiji sugi 爺杉 (or elder cedar) and its tree trunk measures 10 m in circumference! Spotted a waterfall named Suga no taki 須賀の滝 in the vicinity. Forming a scenic backdrop with the surroundings, this waterfall is actually a man-made one (as a result of a dam being constructed upstream) and the water falls into Haraigawa 祓川, whose name came about because visitors would cleanse themselves in this river before attempting the ascend in the past.
1000 years old cedar tree.
Remember. Finally after an hour long of trekking, we arrived at Zuishinmon, feeling lethargic (with wobbly legs) yet happy at the same time for achieving yet another milestone during this trip. As we approached Zuishinmon, we spotted some familiar faces: one of them was our driver who was waiting patiently for us to complete the course and a group of amicable Japanese uncles and aunties (in their sixties), whom we met at Ginzan Onsen the day before, and were just beginning their climb. In fact, they took the initiative to greet us and asked us jovially how was the experience, how long we took to descend the mountain and etc. Though it was a brief encounter, such heart warming gestures and acquaintances sometimes make a trip memorable.
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Hagurosan 羽黒山
鶴岡市羽黒町手向
Operating hours: 0800 - 1700 hrs
Free admission
http://www.dewasanzan.jp/
Saikan 斎館
〒997-0292 山形県鶴岡市羽黒町手向字羽黒山33
Operating hours: 1100 - 1400 hrs
Only accept reservation: 0235-62-2357
https://hagurokanko.jp/p551/syouzinryouri/syojinsyokujidokoro/
How to get there?
(1) By bus.
- From Tsuruoka JR Station Ekimae 鶴岡駅前 Platform 1, take Haguro/Gassan line bus 羽黒・月山線 and alight at Haguro Zuishimon 羽黒随神門 (to ascend Hagurosan) or Haguro Sancho 羽黒山頂 (to descend Hagurosan).
Bus schedule: http://www.shonaikotsu.jp/local_bus/t008_haguro.html
- From Tsuruoka JR Station Ekimae 鶴岡駅前 Platform 4, take Tsuruoka Kanko Shuttle Bus 鶴岡観光しゃとるバス and alight at Haguro Zuishimon 羽黒随神門. Do take note that this bus service only operates on weekends and public holidays between Jun to Oct.
Bus schedule: http://www.shonaikotsu.jp/tourism/shuttlebus.html
(1) By bus.
- From Tsuruoka JR Station Ekimae 鶴岡駅前 Platform 1, take Haguro/Gassan line bus 羽黒・月山線 and alight at Haguro Zuishimon 羽黒随神門 (to ascend Hagurosan) or Haguro Sancho 羽黒山頂 (to descend Hagurosan).
Bus schedule: http://www.shonaikotsu.jp/local_bus/t008_haguro.html
- From Tsuruoka JR Station Ekimae 鶴岡駅前 Platform 4, take Tsuruoka Kanko Shuttle Bus 鶴岡観光しゃとるバス and alight at Haguro Zuishimon 羽黒随神門. Do take note that this bus service only operates on weekends and public holidays between Jun to Oct.
Bus schedule: http://www.shonaikotsu.jp/tourism/shuttlebus.html
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