Mount Yudono

A mountain located in the eastern part of Tsuruoka City in central Yamagata Prefecture. It is located on the southwestern slope of Mt. Gassan, and its highest point is 1,500 meters. It is the oldest volcano among the Gassan volcanoes, and is made of andesite and dacite, and is bell-shaped. It is one of the Dewa Sanzan (three mountains of Dewa) along with Mt. Gassan and Mt. Haguro. Yudono-san Shrine is located in Sennin-zawa, which carves deep into the north of the highest Yudono volcano, and its sacred object is a rock hot spring tower covered with sediment from the hot springs that gush out into the valley. It is also called the inner sanctum of the Dewa Sanzan, and since ancient times it has been forbidden to speak of, and people have been warned, "Do not speak, do not listen." Basho also wrote in his "Oku no Hosomichi" (The Narrow Road to the Deep North) that "the sleeves of my body are wet in the bathhouse that cannot be spoken of." The route to Mt. Gassan via Mt. Yudono was considered the most difficult of the Dewa Sanzan mountains. National Route 112 leads to Yudono Onsen, and beyond that the Yudono Road (toll road) leads to the Sanrojo. There is a bus service from JR Uetsu Main Line Tsuruoka Station to Senninzawa.

[Shige Nakagawa]

"Dewa Sanzan and Hayama" (1975, Yamagata Prefectural General Academic Research Committee)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

山形県中央部、鶴岡市(つるおかし)の東部にある山。月山(がっさん)の南西山腹にあたり、最高所は1500メートル。月山火山中でもっとも古い火山で、安山岩や石英安山岩からなり、鐘状を示す。月山、羽黒山とともに出羽三山(でわさんざん)の一つで、湯殿山神社は最高所の湯殿火山の北方を深くうがつ仙人沢にあり、谷底に湧出(ゆうしゅつ)する温泉の沈殿物に覆われた岩石の温泉塔を御神体とする。出羽三山の奥の院ともいわれ、古来口外禁止の地であり、「語るなかれ、聞くなかれ」と戒められてきた。芭蕉(ばしょう)も『おくのほそ道』で「語られぬ湯殿にぬらす袂(たもと)かな」と詠んでいる。湯殿山を経て月山への登拝路は出羽三山のうちの最難所とされた。国道112号が湯殿山温泉まで通じ、その先は湯殿山道路（有料）が参籠所まで通じる。JR羽越本線鶴岡(つるおか)駅から仙人沢までバスの便がある。

［中川　重］

『『出羽三山・葉山』（1975・山形県総合学術調査会）』

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