Mount Ishizuchi

Ishizuchi is 1,982 metres and the highest mountain in western Japan, sacred to Shugendo and climbed by pilgrims for well over a thousand years. What distinguishes it is the kusari: four sets of heavy iron chains hung down the steepest rock faces near the top, which pilgrims haul themselves up hand over hand as an ascetic practice. They are genuinely serious - the longest is around sixty-five metres of near-vertical rock - and a bypass trail with steps and boardwalk goes around each one for anyone who does not want them. The summit called Misen carries a shrine; the true high point, Tengudake, is a short and exposed scramble along a narrow ridge beyond it. The mountain opens formally for a summer pilgrimage season in early July. Autumn colour reaches the upper slopes in early October, earlier than most of Shikoku.

What you actually see

• The chains - four hung iron ascents, the longest around sixty-five metres.
• Bypass trails - stepped routes around every chain for those who skip them.
• Two summits - the shrine at Misen and the true high point at Tengudake.
• Early colour - the upper slopes turning in the first days of October.

When to go

May to October; early October for colour, early July for the pilgrimage opening. A day.

Honest expectations

The chains are dangerous in wet weather and are not obligatory - take the bypass without embarrassment. The Tengudake ridge is narrow and exposed with drops on both sides. The ropeway leaves a substantial walk. Weather changes fast at this altitude.

Nearby

Saijo is north; the Iya valley is east across the mountains.