Hakusan （白山）– The Sacred Mountains

Shira-mine (白峰) is the name of the village where the entrance of the trail begins towards the peak of Haku-san (Mt.Haku). In the very old days, it was called Ushi-kubi-mura. Ushi means cow. Kubi means neck. Mura means village. What an awkward name. People say that the name derives from the shape of the village that looks like a neck of a cow.

But when I hear Ushi-kubi (牛首)、 Emperor Gozu (牛頭天皇) comes into my mind. Gozu means the head of a cow. Emperor Gozu was said to be one of the child of Susanoo in the Mythology of Japan. The blue colored spiritual body of Susanoo has appeared in different forms at different periods in our history. The energy of Susanoo was most active during the Heian Period (794AC~1185AC), and appeared in a very special figure. He was called Ushi-kubi (牛首). Ushi-kubi is an oni (鬼), an ogre (not always evil. In this case it comes from the Righteous World of the Gods). The person who was called Ushi-kubi actually had two horn like lumps on his head.


During and before the Heian Period, things like this happened often. It was a time when people where still connected with the spiritual world. The horns that come in my vision are about two to four inches long. It is rounded on the top. It appears to be made out of hardened skin. The horns seem to have appeared as a sign in the early stage of the development of males who had taken over the strong spiritual energy of Susanoo. After the Heian Period, as the development matured, even though some still inherit the spiritual energy of Susanno, the horns are no longer obvious as a physical sign.


From my understanding, the reason why the village under Haku-san was called Ushi-kubi is because at that time, there were two males with this horns, protecting Haku-san. They were the spiritual body of Susanoo in a human figure who did not allow anyone to enter the sacred mountain until 1300BC. They lived in Ushi-kubi-mura in Ishikawa Prefecture but was able to spiritually protect the whole range of mountains from Gifu Prefecture to Fukui Prefecture. I sense that they had unbelievable amount of stamina. Even nowadays, people tell me that it is common for the people in Shiramine to climb the mountain twice a day for their duties until they reach 60 yrs old. The mountain is 2700m (9000 feet) high. Last year, I heard a 90 yrs old man from that village who climbed to the top and return in one day. (It takes average of 8 hrs one way). It tells how strong these men are in this village.

From where I live, I could see the figure of Haku-san. Few times a year, it appears in the blue-white light reflecting in the sunlight. It is still the sacred mountains that receive the protection of Susanoo and Haraedo-Yonshin*(祓戸四神). It is the range of mountains that received the first breath of life on this planet Earth from The Root God.


Ikashite-itadaite Arigato-gozaimasu

Thank you for letting us live



For details on“Haraedo-Yonshin(祓戸四神)” please read article of Dec/24/08.