Mount Ishizuchi
Encyclopedia
is a 1982 metres high mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...

 on the border of Saijō
Saijo, Ehime
is a city located in Ehime, Japan.On November 1, 2004 the old city of Tōyo, and the towns of Komatsu and Tanbara, both from Shūsō District, were merged with Saijō.The city was founded on April 29, 1941.The main city of Saijō is known for natural spring water...

 and Kumakōgen
Kumakogen, Ehime
is a town located in Kamiukena District, Ehime, Japan. The town was formed on August 1, 2004 from the merger of the town of Kuma, and the villages of Mikawa, Omogo and Yanadani, all from Kamiukena District....

, in Ehime
Ehime Prefecture
is a prefecture in northwestern Shikoku, Japan. The capital is Matsuyama.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, Ehime prefecture was known as Iyo Province...

, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. This mountain is one of the 100 famous mountains in Japan. It is the tallest mountain in Western Japan.

Outline

Mount Ishizuchi is the highest mountain on the island of Shikoku
Shikoku
is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshū and east of the island of Kyūshū. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima...

 and also the highest mountain west of Mount Haku
Mount Haku
, or Mount Hakusan, is a potentially active volcano. The stratovolcano is located on the borders of Gifu, Fukui and Ishikawa prefectures in Japan. It is thought to have first been active 300,000 to 400,000 years ago, with the most recent eruption occurring in 1659...

 on the border of Ishikawa
Ishikawa Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island. The capital is Kanazawa.- History :Ishikawa was formed from the merger of Kaga Province and the smaller Noto Province.- Geography :Ishikawa is on the Sea of Japan coast...

 and Gifu
Gifu Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the Chūbu region of central Japan. Its capital is the city of Gifu.Located in the center of Japan, it has long played an important part as the crossroads of Japan, connecting the east to the west through such routes as the Nakasendō...

 prefectures. 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
Shugendo
is a highly syncretic Buddhic religion or sect and mystical-spiritual tradition which originated in pre-Feudal Japan, in which enlightenment is equated with attaining oneness with the . This perception of experiential "awakening" is obtained through the understanding of the relationship between...

, a sect of mixture of Shintoism and Buddhism. On 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 leading up to the summit and this is the route many pilgrims opt to take, the longest set being 68m.

The climbing season opens every year on July 1, women being 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
Acer palmatum
Acer palmatum, called Japanese Maple or Smooth Japanese Maple is a species of woody plant native to Japan, North Korea, South Korea, China, eastern Mongolia, and southeast Russia. Many different cultivars of this maple have been selected and they are grown worldwide for their attractive leaf...

.

The area around Mount Ishizuchi is a major part of Ishizuchi Quasi-National Park
Ishizuchi Quasi-National Park
is a Quasi-National Park in Ehime Prefecture and Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. It was founded on 1 November 1955 and has an area of 106.8 km²....

.

Access

  • Sanchōjōju Station of Ishizuchi Ropeway
  • Ishizuchi Tsuchigoya Bus Stop of Iyotetsu Bus
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