is a
mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...
on the border of
Saijō and
Kumakōgen, in
Ehime,
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 ...
. This mountain is one of the
100 famous mountains in Japan. It is the highest mountain in Western Japan and the island of
Shikoku
is the smallest of the List of islands of Japan#Main islands, four main islands of Japan. It is long and between at its widest. It has a population of 3.8 million, the least populated of Japan's four main islands. It is south of Honshu ...
.
Once upon a time it was a stratovolcano with large scale magma activity. Over time the magma activity ceased and it became extinct with no eruption activities in the past 10kya years or recent signs of eruption
Outline
Mount Ishizuchi is the highest mountain on the island of
Shikoku
is the smallest of the List of islands of Japan#Main islands, four main islands of Japan. It is long and between at its widest. It has a population of 3.8 million, the least populated of Japan's four main islands. It is south of Honshu ...
and also the highest mountain west of
Mount Haku
, or Mount Hakusan (commonly referred to as simply Hakusan), is a dormant stratovolcano in Japan. It is located on the borders of Gifu and Ishikawa, on the island of Honshu. Mount Haku is thought to have first been active 300,000 to 400,000 y ...
. It is known as 'the roof of Shikoku' and the sharp, rocky summit resembles a huge .
Mount Ishizuchi is an important object of worship in this region and one of the major centers of
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 ...
, a sect of mixture of
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 ...
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 ...
. At the top of the mountain there is a small shrine called the Ishizuchi Shrine. This mountain is also known as one of . There are several sets of , the longest set being , leading up to the summit and this is the route many pilgrims opt to take. However, it is possible to hike all the way to the peak along a trail which includes stairs and ramps with handrails.
The climbing season opens every year on July 1, and women are forbidden from climbing the mountain on this day.
Between mid-October and mid-November, people come from far and wide to view the
autumn colours.
The area around Mount Ishizuchi is a major part of the eponymous
Ishizuchi Quasi-National Park.
Access
*
Sanchōjōju Station of
Ishizuchi Ropeway
*
Ishizuchi Tsuchigoya Bus Stop of
Iyotetsu Bus
Image:Ishizuchi1.jpg, Mount Ishizuchi from South
Image:Ishizuchi Shrine on the mountaintop.jpg, Top of Mount Ishizuchi
Image:Ishizuchi3.jpg, A view of the middle of the mountain
Image:Ishizuchi4.jpg, A stone wall of the mountain
Image:Mt. Ishizuchi from Joju Shrine.jpg, Mt. Ishizuchi from Joju
Image:Iron chains on Mt. Ishizuchi.jpg, People ascending via the iron chains
Footnotes
References
Guide to the Ishizuchi Mountains (Saijo City)the Geographical Survey Institute in Japan‘Yama to Shinko: Ishizuchisan’
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ishizuchi
Mountains of Ehime Prefecture