Hikosan Jingu , is a mountain on the border between

Fukuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders ...

and

Ōita Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Ōita Prefecture has a population of 1,081,646 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 6,340 km2 (2,448 sq mi). Ōita Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the northwest, K ...

Kyūshū is the third-largest island of Japan's four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa and the other Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regio ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. It straddles the municipalities of

Soeda, Fukuoka 270px, Hikosan Jingu is a town located in Tagawa District, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 8725 in 4496 households, and a population density of 66 persons per km2. The total area of the town is . Geography ...

and

Nakatsu, Ōita is a Cities of Japan, city on the northern border of Ōita Prefecture in Kyushu, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 82,301 in 41222 households, and a population density of 96 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geogr ...

, with its

elevation The elevation of a geographic location (geography), ''location'' is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational equipotenti ...

of metres within the borders of Nakatsu. The mountain is also within the borders of the

Yaba-Hita-Hikosan Quasi-National Park is a Quasi-National Park in Fukuoka Prefecture, Kumamoto Prefecture, and Ōita Prefecture, Japan. It was founded on 29 July 1950 and has an area of . See also * Aonodōmon * List of national parks of Japan and of Japan are places of sceni ...

. It is one of Japan's 100 Scenic Views and Japan's 200 Famous Mountains. It is also regarded as a

sacred mountain Sacred mountains are central to certain religions, and are usually the subjects of many legends. For many, the most symbolic aspect of a mountain is the peak because it is believed that it is closest to heaven or other religious realms. Many reli ...

and one of the three major centers for

Shugendō is a syncretic Esoteric Buddhist religion, a body of ascetic practices that originated in the Nara Period of Japan having evolved during the 7th century from an amalgamation of beliefs, philosophies, doctrines and ritual systems drawn prim ...

. It was designated a National Historic Site in 2017.

Overview

Mount Hiko is the third highest mountain in Fukuoka Prefecture, after

Mount Shaka Mount Shaka (釈迦岳, ''Shaka-dake''), located in Hita, Ōita Prefecture and Yame, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, is the highest mountain in Fukuoka Prefecture, with a summit elevation of 1,230 m (4,035 ft 5 in). Although Fugen-dake is the highest ...

(1230 meters) on the border with

Hita, Ōita file:Hita city office.jpg, 270px, Hita City Hall is a Cities of Japan, city located in Ōita Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 61,148 in 27,556 households, and a population density of 96 persons per km2. The total ar ...

, and Mount Gozendake (1209 meters) in

Yame, Fukuoka 270px, Yame City Hall 270px, Iwatoyama Kofun is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 37,782 in 16050 households, and a population density of 240 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . ...

. The mountain area is an area where the prefectural border between Fukuoka and Oita prefectures has not been determined. The name of the mountain was originally written "彦山", but the additional

kanji are logographic Chinese characters, adapted from Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script, used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are ...

of "英" was added in 1729 by order of Cloistered

Emperor Reigen , posthumously honored as was the 112th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 霊元天皇 (112)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession.Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan'', pp. 117 ...

. Hikosan Jingu is located about 720 meters, or halfway up the mountain, and is visited by many worshipers, with the upper shrine located at the top of the central peak. In October 2005, a

slope car A is a small automated monorail, or a fusion between monorail, people mover, inclined elevator and rack railway. It is a brand name of . Since this mode of transportation is relatively unknown, it lacks widely accepted generic name, other than ...

with a total length of 849 meters was built along the approach to Hikosan Jingu, making it possible to reach the shrine in about 15 minutes from the base of the mountains. Fukakura Gorge, located at the foot of the mountain, is a famous spot for autumn leaves. Otoko-iwa, a strange-shaped rock in Fukakuraenchi at the back of Fukakura Gorge, and Onna-iwa, which face each other across the valley, are connected by a giant ''

shimenawa are lengths of laid rice straw or hemp rope used for ritual purification in the Shinto religion. vary in diameter from a few centimetres to several metres, and are often seen festooned with —traditional paper streamers. A space bound by t ...

'' rope, and the Otoko-iwa Festival is held every November. Parts of the Hikoyama Gardens, including the former Kameishibo Garden, have been designated as National

Place of Scenic Beauty is a collective term used by the Japanese government's Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties to denote Cultural Properties of JapanIn this article, capitals indicate an official designation as opposed to a simple definition, e.g "Cultural ...

History

Mount Hiko has a long history of human settlement, as evidenced by the remains of hunting pits and settlements from the early to late

Jōmon period In Japanese history, the is the time between , during which Japan was inhabited by the Jōmon people, a diverse hunter-gatherer and early agriculturalist population united by a common culture, which reached a considerable degree of sedentism an ...

in the Imagawa headwaters at the foot of the mountain. A large jade bead dating from the late Jomon period was also found, which is rare in Fukuoka Prefecture and was brought from

Itoigawa, Niigata is a city located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 38,224 living in 17,028 households, and a population density of 51 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Itoigawa is located in the ...

, about 1500 kilometers away in a straight line, indicating that active trade existed at the time. Mount Hiko, along with

Mount Haguro is one of the Three Mountains of Dewa in the city of Tsuruoka, the ancient province of Dewa (a domain consisting of modern-day Yamagata Prefecture and Akita Prefecture), Japan. Dewa Shrine is located on Mount Haguro. Access The summit can al ...

(

Yamagata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. It has a population of 1,005,926 (1 February 2025) and an area of 9,325 Square kilometre, km2 (3,600 Square mile, sq mi). Its neighbours are Akita Prefectu ...

) and

Mount Ōmine , is a sacred mountain in Nara, Japan, famous for its three tests of courage. Officially known as , it is more popularly known as Mount Ōmine due to its prominence in the Ōmine mountain range. It is located in Yoshino-Kumano National Park in ...

(

Nara Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara Prefecture has a population of 1,321,805 and has a geographic area of . Nara Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Osaka Prefecture to the ...

), is counted as one of the three great mountains for the

mountain cult which flourished especially in the

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capita ...

and

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...

. Shugendō is a highly

syncretic Syncretism () is the practice of combining different beliefs and various schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the theology and mythology of religion, thus ...

religion, a body of

ascetic Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures through self-discipline, self-imposed poverty, and simple living, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their pra ...

practices that evolved during the 7th century from an amalgamation of beliefs, philosophies, doctrines and ritual systems drawn from local folk-religious practices,

Shinto , also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...

mountain worship is a faith that regards mountains as sacred objects of worship. Overview Mountain worship, as a form of nature worship, is thought to have evolved from the reverence that ethnic groups closely associated with mountains have for mountainous t ...

and

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

. The final purpose of Shugendō is for practitioners to find supernatural power and save themselves and the masses by conducting religious training while treading through steep mountain ranges. However, Mount Hiko became famous as a training ground for ''

yamabushi are Japanese mountain ascetic hermits. They are generally part of the syncretic religion, which includes Tantric Buddhism and Shinto. Their origins can be traced back to the solitary Yama-bito and some (saints or holy persons) of the eighth ...

'', with a focus on the

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

, and at its peak, it is said to have had thousands of warrior monks, a military force comparable to that of a feudal lord. The Buzen

Sasaki clan are a historical Japanese clan. History They are descended directly from Emperor Uda (868–897) by his grandson Minamoto no Masazane (920–993) (Uda Genji), but were adopted by the Seiwa Genji. Minamoto no Nariyori, great-grandson of Masaz ...

, which was based on this mountain, ruled as the feudal lord, and its chieftain also held the title of monk. In the

Sengoku period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...

the mountain came under attack by

Ōtomo Sōrin , also known as Fujiwara no Yoshishige (藤原義鎮) or Ōtomo Yoshishige (大友義鎮), was a Japanese feudal lord (''daimyō'') of the Ōtomo clan, one of the few to have converted to Catholicism. The eldest son of , he inherited the Funa ...

in October 1581, and many of the temple buildings were burnt down in the battle that lasted for over a month. The Ōtomo also suffered a large number of deaths and lost much of their power; however, the Sasaki were also weakened and unable to resist

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods and regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: ...

's invasion of Kyushu in 1586.

Sasaki Kojirō was a Japanese swordsman who may have lived during the Azuchi–Momoyama and early Edo periods and is known primarily for the story of his duel with Miyamoto Musashi in 1612, where Sasaki was killed. Although suffering from defeat as wel ...

, famous for his duel against

Miyamoto Musashi , was a Japanese swordsman, strategist, artist, and writer who became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship and undefeated record in his 62 duels. Miyamoto is considered a ''Kensei (honorary title), kensei'' (swo ...

, was a member of the Buzen Sasaki clan. Shugendō gradually fell into decline during the

Edo Period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

, and was banned by the

Meiji government The was the government that was formed by politicians of the Satsuma Domain and Chōshū Domain in the 1860s. The Meiji government was the early government of the Empire of Japan. Politicians of the Meiji government were known as the Meiji ...

in 1870 with its ''

Shinbutsu bunri The Japanese term indicates the separation of Shinto from Buddhism, introduced after the Meiji Restoration which separated Shinto ''kami'' from buddhas, and also Buddhist temples from Shinto shrines, which were originally amalgamated. It is a ...

'' edict separating Shinto from Buddhism, and many of the chapels and temples on the mountains reverted to forest and rice fields. Details about the ''yamabushi'' settlement were unknown, but in 2015,

lidar Lidar (, also LIDAR, an acronym of "light detection and ranging" or "laser imaging, detection, and ranging") is a method for determining ranging, ranges by targeting an object or a surface with a laser and measuring the time for the reflected li ...

surveying carried out by Soeda Town confirmed several locations that appeared to be the site of the village. The survey results suggest that there were up to 800 structures housing around 3,000 people at its height.

References

External links

Soeda town home page with hiking mapsCultural Properties in Fukuoka prefecture
Mountains of Fukuoka Prefecture Mountains of Ōita Prefecture History of Fukuoka Prefecture Soeda, Fukuoka Nakatsu, Ōita Historic Sites of Japan Sacred mountains of Japan Places of Scenic Beauty Two-thousanders of Asia {{Fukuoka-geo-stub