Hijiriyama – nuur –
About Hijiriyama
Hijiriyama ("holy mountain") is a 1,447-meter peak on the border between Ooka in Nagano City (formerly Ooka Village, Sarashina District) and Omi Village in Higashichikuma District, Nagano Prefecture. It forms part of the Hijiri Highlands.
Long known as a mountain of Shugendo, it holds the legend of the saint Gakudo who, guided by Kumano Gongen, cleared the mountain with a woodcutter and continued his practice here.
Once, when he prayed for villagers suffering from drought, he was given a water jewel from Kumano, and water sprang up where he set it down. This saint, who saved the villagers from drought, is fondly known as "Gakudo-sama."
That place remains as Otane Pond in the grounds of Hijiri Daijinja Shrine near the summit, where pure, cold water still wells up without ceasing, all year round.
About Hijiriyama – nuur –
Hijiriyama – nuur – is a forest sanctuary on the mountainside, at about 1,070 meters. It is a space for people living toward a sustainable "ancient future." With a residential meditation center at its core, we create and share a way of life in which people return to the forest and live as part of nature.