Mount Ontake

Mount Ontake rises on the border of Hida and Shinano, a volcanic peak long revered by ascetics. For centuries access to its sacred heights was governed by strict rules of purification. In 1785 the religious leader Kakumei guided people of Kiso up the mountain, and in 1792 Fukan opened a route from Ōtaki. Their efforts helped spread organised pilgrimage to Ontake among worshippers far beyond its wooded foothills.