Amid the eternal mists of Shikoku Island, where paths wind through ancient cedar forests and spirituality blends with the mountain air, rises one of Japan’s most sacred and least-known peaks: Mount Ishizuchi. Despite being the highest point in western Japan at 1,982 meters, its name is rarely mentioned in traditional travel guides—making it a treasure reserved for the truly curious.
“Ishizuchi” means “stone hammer,” a phrase that hardly captures the awe-inspiring presence of this peak as it slices through the sky with an almost supernatural grace. Regarded as one of the Seven Sacred Mountains of Japan, Ishizuchi has long been a pilgrimage site for followers of shugendō—a syncretic spiritual tradition blending esoteric Buddhism, Shintoism, and mountain worship. Even today, visitors may encounter yamabushi—mountain monks—ascending barefoot in search of enlightenment through hardship.
What makes Mount Ishizuchi truly unique is not just its spiritual depth, but the dreamlike atmosphere that envelops it. In summer, dense fog glides along its slopes, muting the world. Autumn sets the forest ablaze with crimson and gold, and winter covers the ridges in snow and silence. Perhaps the mountain’s most dramatic feature is the iron chain route that climbs the vertical rock face known as Tengudake. Scaling it—a centuries-old tradition—is a physical and mental trial few dare to face, though a safer hiking route is available for the less daring.
Unlike the Japanese Alps or Mount Fuji, there are no crowds or souvenir shops here. Only wind, the distant echo of ritual drums, and the crunch of leaves underfoot. Ishizuchi preserves a sacred solitude, a sense of authenticity untouched by mass tourism.
Those who reach its summit don’t just enjoy a breathtaking view of the Seto Inland Sea and Shikoku’s valleys—they often describe feeling something shift within. Perhaps it’s this quiet transformation that leaves Mount Ishizuchi etched in the memory, long after the journey ends.
