Mount Togakushi

Mount Togakushi (Japanese: 戸隠山) is located in the former village of Togakushi, now located within the city of Nagano, Nagano, Japan. The mountain is 1904 meters (6247 ft) high. Mount Togakushi has traditionally been included in the Five Mountains of Northern Shinshu (北信五岳) that includes Mount Myōkō (妙高山), Mount Kurohime (黒姫山), Mount Iizuna (飯縄山) and Mount Madarao (斑尾山). Mount Togakushi is now also part of Myōkō-Togakushi Renzan National Park. It is one of the 200 most famous mountains in Japan (日本に百名山), and one of the 100 most famous mountains in Nagano (信州百名山). At the base of Mount Togakushi are located five Shintoist shrines belonging to Togakushi Shrine: Okusha Shrine (奥社), and just below it Kuzuryūsha Shrine (九頭龍社), sit on the mountain; the remaining three shrines, Chūsha Shrine (中社), Hōkōsha Shrine (宝光社), and Hinomikosha Shrine (火之御子社) are located further away in Togakushi village. Okusha, in particular, is known for its cedar-lined avenue to the shrine. Historically, Mount Togakushi, like Mount Iizuna nearby, has been a sacred site for mountain-based religious sects, generally called Shugendo.