HIKING
COURSES
Discover the 5 different hiking courses along the Rokujurigoe Kaido pilgrimage route. Or hike them all at once!
OUR RECOMMENDED ITINERARY
See the best highlights of the Rokujurigoe Kaido trail from Tsuruoka city to Mt. Yudono (the sokushinbutsu mummies temples, beech tree tunnels and Buddhist remains), on the parts of the trail that are taken care of by our association.
Recommended itinerary: "From Honmyoji Temple to Mt. Yudono"
Length: 21.6 km
Elevation gain: ↗1450 meters ↘500 meters
Required walking time: 9 hours (pauses not included)
DOWNLOAD OUR RECOMMENDED ITINERARY:
THE WHOLE PLAN
COURSE #1 :
KOBO NO WATASHI ➡ HONMYOJI TEMPLE
This section of the trail begins at Kōbō no Watashi (弘法の渡し), a small temple dedicated to Kōbō Daishi (Kūkai). Here you will also find a bonji (sacred Sanskrit character) dedicated to Dainichi Nyorai (Vairocana), the Buddha of Universal Truth, who is the principal deity of Shingon Buddhism and enshrined at Mt. Yudono. According to the four main temples of Mt. Yudono—Hondōji, Chūrenji, Dainichibō, and Dainichiji—it was Kōbō Daishi himself who first opened Mt. Yudono as a sacred Shingon site. Beginning your journey here symbolizes your intention to follow in the footsteps of pilgrims who set out on this Shingon Buddhist path more than 1,200 years ago.
Trail characteristics: about 95% of this section follows paved roads, passing through quiet rural villages. No convenience stores, toilets, or water supply points along the way.
For this reason, we recommend completing this section by E-bike, as part of one of our Self-Guided Tours.
COURSE #2 :
HONMYOJI TO CHURENJI TEMPLE
Length: 6.5 km
Elevation gain/loss: +500 meters
Required walking time: 2 hours 30 minutes
"From Honmyoji Temple to Churenji Temple"
Writing in progress
DOWNLOAD COURSE 1'S ITINERARY:
COURSE #4 :
CHURENJI TO DAINICHIBO TEMPLE
Length: 3 km
Elevation gain/loss: -10 meters
Required walking time: 35 minutes
"From Churenji temple to Dainichibo Temple"
Writing in progress
DOWNLOAD COURSE 2'S ITINERARY:
COURSE #5 :
DAINICHIBO TO NANATSU FALLS
Length: 4 km
Elevation gain/loss: 160 meters
Required walking time: 1 hours 30 minutes
"From Dainichibo Temple to Tamugimata Village"
Writing in progress
DOWNLOAD COURSE 3'S ITINERARY:
COURSE #6 :
NANATSU FALLS TO MT. YUDONO
Length: 11 km
Elevation gain/loss: 834 meters
Required walking time: 5 hours 30 minutes
"From Tamugimata to Yudonosan-jinja Shrine"
Writing in progress
DOWNLOAD COURSE 4'S ITINERARY:
COURSE #7 :
MT. YUDONO TO SHIZU ONSEN
Length: 9 km
Elevation gain/loss: -430 meters
Required walking time: 5 hours 30 minutes
"From Mt. Yudono to Shizu Onsen"
Writing in progress
DOWNLOAD COURSE 5'S ITINERARY:
