Mt. Kabasan

Mt. Kabasan is the second highest mountain in the range of Tskuba-Ashio-Kaba mountains (Ibaraki pref. Japan), 709 meters in hight above sea level. The mountain is known as a place for traditional religional training and its legends of tengu monsters. The Kabasan problem of Meiji renovation is also famous.

For its long religional history, there are mainly three shrines, "Kabasan jinja (shrine)," "Kabasan Saenazumi jinja Hongu," and "Kabasan Saenazumi jinja Shingu", and there front shrines, offices and inn for religional trainers. At the foot of the mountain, there are also three front shrines, one at the side of Yasato town and two at the side of Makabe town. Two offices "Kabasan jinja" and "Kabasan Saenazumi jinja" are there at the front shrines of Makabe, and events are held by each officers completely independently in theses days.

A quite complicated thing is that there looks two Kabasan jinjas. Recently, Kabasan-saenazumi-jinja and relating shrines are generally called as "Kabasan jinja," and Kabasan-jinja and relating shrines are called generally as "Tabako jinja". There seems to be some difficult historical reasons :-) . Because of this mess, this documentation may also includs some misunderstandings like other published sightseeing guidebooks. Please be careful.

• Kabasan jinja (Kabasan Tenchugu, sometimes called Kabasan Dai-gongen)
  This shrine is often refered as "Tabako jinja (tobacco shrine)".
  • Buildings on the top of the mountain: Main building, Tabako jinja (tobacco shrine), front shrine, inn and office)
  • Buildings in Nagaoka, Makabe town: (Front shrine, main office)
  • Buildings in Ootsuka, Yasato town: (Front shrine)
• Kabasan Saenazumi jinja (Kabasan jinja Hongu, Kabasan jinja Shingu) (also called Kabasan Dai-gongen)
  This shrine is often refered as "Kabasan jinja (Kabasan shrine)".
  • Buildings on the top of the mountain: (Main building of Hongu, front shrine of Hongu, main building of Shingu, front shrine of Shingu)
  • Buildings in Nagaoka, Makabe town: (Front shrine and main office)

"Kiseru Matsuri" Festival of a big tobacco pipe

A Big pipe ( 2.5 meters in length and 60 kilograms in weight ) is pushed up by several people to the top of the mountain. This funny ceremony is held on 5th of September, 10:30-12:00.

You can find a video of this ceremony at Ibarakiken net.

Ceremony of "walking on fire"

People walks through burning fire in Kabasan Saenazumi shrine in the winter solstice day. The event is held from 13:00 to 14:00.

"Zenjo" religional trainig in Mt. Kabasan

Traditional religional training is still alive in Mt. Kabasan. Ascetics in white clothes go around 700 sacred places in the mountain in period from first to middle of August. There is no qualification to join the training. You see several paper streamers which trainers put in front of sacred rocks in the photo.

"Chinowa kuguri" ceremony of sacred ring

"Chinowa kuguri" is one of popular Shintoism ceremonies. People creep through a big ring made of kaya (pampas like weed). At Kabasan shrine, japanese art of drawing sword is performed before Chinowa kuguri (28th of June, 11 a.m.).

Other events

Kabasan jinja (shrine)

Documents refer to date of events are always not certain, and actualy I found many date for one event (all but one should be wrong).

• Anniversary events
  • 1st of Jan. : "Gantan-sai," ceremony of New Year's day
  • 1st of Jan. : "Hiwatari," ceremony of walking through fire
  • 1st of Jan. (lunar calendar) : "Omikoshi-togyo-sai," parade of a portable shrine
  • 28th of Jan. : "Nefudo-sai," ceremony of Acala
  • 3rd of Feb. : "Setsubun," festival of Setsubun, the day before the beginning of spring
  • 17th of Feb. : "Gokoku Housaku Kinen-sai," Prayer for a rich harvest
  • 8th of Apr. : "Taisai," Anniversary festival
  • 8th of Apr. (lunar calendar) : "Sancho-honden Taisai," Anniversary festival of the shrine on the top of Mt. Kabasan
  • 5th of May : "Jido-sai, Tairyo-sai," prayer for children, prayer for a rich catch
  • 17th of Jun. : "Saegusa-sai (Yuri-matsuri)," ceremony of lilies
  • 28th of Jun. : "Ooharai (Chinowa kuguri)," ceremony of purification
  • 28th of Jul. : "Tengu-sai," ceremony for Tengus in Mt. Kabasan
  • 1st of Aug. : "Zenjo," opening of religional training (the period ends on the last day of August)
  • 1st of Aug. : "Saegusa-sai (Yuri-matsuri)," ceremony of lilies
  • 15th of Aug. : "Sorei-sai," ceremony of the dead
  • 5th of Sep. : "Kiseru-matsuri," ceremony for a good harvest of tobacco
  • 29th of Sep. : "Okunoin-sai," ceremony of the shrine on the top of Mt. Kabasan
  • 17th of Oct. : "Okunoin-sai," ceremony of the shrine on the top of Mt. Kabasan
  • 23rd of Nov. : "Shinkoku-sai," thanks giving ceremony of a rich harvest
  • the winter solstice : "Hoshi-matsuri," prayer for stars
  • 31st of Dec. : "Ooharai, Joya-sai," ceremony of purification, ceremony of New Year's eve
• Monthly events
  • 8th: Regular ceremony
  • 28th: Ceremony for a priest Fumyo and a Fudo budhha
• Other possibilities ;-(
  These are the dates I found and I guess quite unreliable.
  • 5th of May : "Ranjo-sai," prayer for avoiding disastrous storms
  • 1st of Jul. : "Tengu-sai," ceremony for Tengus in Mt. Kabasan
  • 20th of Aug. : "Kiseru-matsuri," ceremony for a good harvest of tobacco
  • 22nd of Nov. : "Shinkoku-sai," thanks giving ceremony of a rich harvest
  • 23rd of Dec. : "Hoshi-matsuri," prayer for stars

Kabasan Saenazumi jinja (shrine)

• Anniversary events
  • 1st of Jan. : "Gantan-sai," ceremony of New Year's day
  • １月７日〜：御分霊渡御祭（３月３１日まで）
  • ３月１５日：殖産祭
  • ４月１日：殖産祭
  • ４月５日：殖産祭
  • ４月８日：例祭
  • １０月８日：鎮座祭
  • １２月冬至：鎮火祭（火渡り祭）１３時頃より、１時間ほど。
• Monthly events
  • 8th, 18th, 28th: Regular ceremony
• Other possibilities ;-(
  • １２月２２日（冬至）：火渉祭（真壁町観光案内パンフレットより）

Hiking around the top of Mt. Kabasan

丸山から加波山神社拝殿までのコースに沿って点在する社殿や遺物を紹介します。 丸山山頂までの階段（５６０段）を除くと、高低差のほとんどないハイキングコースで、 関東ふれあいの道の一部でもあります。 速ければ往復でも６０分ほどです。 このあたりは夏の加波山禅定の舞台でもある信仰の中心地であり、 数十メートルおきに石碑や社などを見ることができます。

丸山までは、車であがることができます。 上曽峠からきのこ山・足尾山・一本杉峠・丸山・加波山頂北側より板敷峠の岩瀬側に至る １０ｋｍ程の林道（北筑波稜線林道）が利用可能で、 舗装も比較的しっかりしており不安なく通行できます。 林道の両側は、真壁・八郷方面とも広い展望が楽しめますが、 このあたりはハンググライダーの名所でもあるため車の通行はそこそこにあり、 すれ違いが多いので注意。 いずれにせよ山中の道であり、落石、崩壊、倒木の危険は常にあるので、悪天候や その直後に立ち入るべきではないでしょう。

なお林道中、丸山・板敷の途中から、 加波山神社拝殿前まで上がる未舗装路もあり、一般にはこちらもよく紹介されています。 星見の名所としても知られているようです。５台くらいは駐車可能。

A memorial monument of the Kabasan problem "Jiyu no Kizahashi (steps for liberty)" below the peak of Mt. Maruyama. There is a space for parking several cars.

Memorial monument of the Kabasan probelm, "Hatatae Ishi (stone for staning a flag)". A flag, which was a symbol of liberty, was stood here.

Beyond the top of the Maruyama peak, we can see quite many religional memorials on the road such as stone monuments, small shrine buildings, paper streams and sacred straw festoons.

A front shrine of "Hongu of Kabasan Saenazumi jinja". On the left side of the photo you can see an inn. It is open during the period of religional training (in August).

A main building of "Hongu of Kabasan Saenazumi jinja". It is located around the highest position of Mt. Kabasan's braod peak.

A main building of "Kabasan jinja". The foundation date is legendary old. As there is a story related to a hero Saka no Ue no Tamuramaro, at least it was here around A.D.800.

We can enjoy wide view in autumn and winter.

"Sakigake Ishi (a monument of the pioneers)," a memorial monument of the Kabasan problem near the building.

The main building of "Tabako jinja (tabacco shrine)". Nominally main, but quite small.

The main building of "Shingu of Kabasan Saenazumi jinja".

A front shrine, inn and office of "Kabasan jinja". 加波山神社拝殿。左奥に見える宿泊施設には、１６時頃までは人がいる。 ユースホステル加波山荘としての利用もされている、立派な施設です。 すぐそばに、板敷方面からの林道の駐車場があります。

A front shrine of "Shingu of Kabasan Saenazumi jinja". This building is neighboring to the front shrine of Kabasan jinja.

ここからさらに、真壁方面へ降りる道があり、これが元々の登山道です。 よく踏まれている道ですが、急ですべりやすく多少倒木もあり、 あまり歩きやすいとは言えません。 また、途中からは車道歩きとなります。山麓の拝殿まで登り下りとも６０分ほど。

A front shrine of Kabasan shrine in Nagaoka of Makabe town. This shrine is often introduced as "Tobacco shrine (shrine for tabaco pipes)".

In a small musium of This Tobacco shrine, we can see the big pipe for the "Kiseru matsuri (big pipe festival)". Open from 9:30 to 14:00.

A front shrine of "Hogu and Shingu of Kabasan Saenazumi shrine". It is located at 100 meters down from Tobacco shrine mentioned above. Festival of "walking on fire" is held here.

A front shrine of Kabasan shrine in Ootsuka of Yasato town. Older than Nagaoka front shrine but now no manned.

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