What is Three Mountains of Dewa?
{{Infobox religious building|name={{nihongo|'''Three Mountains of Dewa'''|出羽三山|Dewa Sanzan}}|religious_affiliation=[[Shinto]]|image=Five tier pagoda at Mt. Haguro 2006-10-29.jpg|caption=The five story pagoda near the base of Mount Haguro|map_type=Japan|coordinates={{coord|38|42|01|N|140|00|01|E|display=title,inline|region:JP-06_type:mountain_source:dewiki}}|map_size=|map_alt=|map_relief=|map_caption=|location=|deity=|festival=|type=|leadership=|website=|architecture_style=|founded_by=|established=|date_destroyed=}} [[File:Torii_in_the_mist_v1.JPG|right|thumb|A [[torii]] gate halfway up on Mount Haguro.]] The '''Three Mountains of Dewa''', also known as Dewa Sanzan in Japanese, are three special mountains in the ancient [[Dewa Province|Dewa]] Province of [[Yamagata Prefecture]]. The three mountains are Mount Haguro, Mount Gassan, and Mount Yudono. These mountains are considered sacred in the Shinto religion and are particularly significant for the Shugendo mountain ascetic cult. Many people, including the well-known haiku poet [[Matsuo Basho|Matsuo Bashō]], visit Dewa Sanzan as a popular pilgrimage site. The Haguro Five-story [[Pagoda]] is a national treasure of Japan. It has three subshrines # [[Gassan Shrine]] # [[Dewa Shrine|Hagurosan Shrine]] # [[Yudonosan Shrine]] == History == Over 1400 years ago in 593, Prince Hachiko opened the Dewa Sanzan mountains as a religious center, which is now considered the oldest history of [[mountain worship]] in Japan. After fleeing the Soga clan upon the killing of his father, [[Emperor Sushun]], Prince Hachiko arrived in Dewa province, where he devoted the rest of his life to religious pursuits. He endured difficult ascetic exercises and a period of penance, leading to his worship of Haguro Gongen, the mountain deity. The prince began worshiping at the Gassan and Yudono mountains, leading to the enshrinement of all three deities at the temple on the peak of Mount Haguro. People started to visit Dewa Sanzan mountains regularly after it was established as a place for relig