After driving for about 40 minutes from Tsuruoka City, you begin to see a large torii (entrance gate) to Dewa Sanzan, which also demarcates its boundary. After passing through the impressive red torii, you’ll start to sporadically see various dwellings with small torii at their entrance on both sides of the road. These are not residential complexes, but are lodging for shrine visitors called “shukubo” (guest house). Since there are mountain worshipers of Dewa Sanzan not only from Yamagata and Tohoku regions, but also throughout Japan, many guest houses were built at the foot of the mountains with a representative allocated per prefecture so that visitors can slowly make the pilgrimage, even from far away.
the sea of clouds view from Mt.GassnTSURUOKA, UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy
Shukubo (Lodgings in a Temple) of “Toge Town”, home of Mt. Hagurosan-Shinko (Faith)TSURUOKA, UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy
Dorter of “Toge Town” as the Town of Mt. Hagurosan-Shinko (Faith)TSURUOKA, UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy
The guest houses provide seasonal “Shojin cuisines” that have been handed down from generation to generation. Generally speaking, a “Shojin cuisine” is known as a vegetarian cuisine without using any meat or fish that may also use vegetables to create meat-like dishes. However, the Shojin cuisine of Dewa Sanzan is slightly different in the sense that the “spirit of hospitality” is present in each dish provided to the visitors.
The evolution of Shojin Cuisine: from survival to hospitality
The Shojin cuisine of Dewa Sanzan is centered on mountain vegetables. Many mountain vegetables start popping up in spring, which means that green-colored vegetables naturally dominate the dishes. As we enter fall, the ratio of mushrooms starts increasing, thereby turning the colors on the dishes more brown. It’s not clearly defined on the calendar when to use which ingredients, and what kind of dishes to serve. “You’ll naturally know what to do by listening to the mountain,” says Mr. Shinkichi Ito, the head chef of “Mt. Hagurosan Sanrojo Saikan.”
“Since Shojin cuisine was a simple cuisine that supported the survival of mountain priests, the primary criteria was whether the ingredients can be made edible, and hence, they didn’t focus on the taste too much. But through the development of preservation and preparation technologies, it gradually turned into a cuisine that provides hospitality to the mountain pilgrims. As a basic rule, Shojin cuisine doesn’t use anything including meat or fish that is overly nourishing. This is based on the idea that we can receive enough power from the mountains, and don’t need to gain it from any other source. There’s also been a long-established habit of eating Shojin dishes the day before climbing Mt. Gassan or Mt. Yudonosan, as they are easily digestible and aid in preventing bodies from catching a cold. The Shojin cuisine that we currently offer has been built upon the many dishes that our predecessors have devised in such hopes. We mainly use whatever is in season at the time, and therefore, the contents of the dishes slightly differ every time. We hope the visitors also enjoy the varieties that we offer.”
Shojin cuisine is a full course meal on a single plate consisting of small, individual dishes that are beautifully colored with mountain vegetables such as bamboo shoots, hosta montana, fukinoto, fatsia sprouts, chive, Japanese knotweed, etc. Even though the meal is only composed of vegetables, mountain vegetables and tofu, it provides wide variety of taste and texture leading to the experience of new discovery and joy in each dish, and promotes a sense of fulfillment and happiness after having various experiences throughout the meal.
Each dish leaves a clue for the mountain priests
The Shojin cuisine of Dewa Sanzan has another significant characteristic besides the ingredients it uses. This is the fact that the entire meal itself serves as the road map. Each dish is affixed with a secret language that’s used by the mountain priests, which expresses the names of training grounds and holy places along the route. For example, a dish characterized with three bamboo shoots indicates the term, “the Mt. Gassan Hut.” Head Chef Ito explains its meaning as follows.
Simmered of Gassan-dake (Chishima zasa (Sasa Kurilensis)) and Aburaage (Deep-Fried Bean Curd)TSURUOKA, UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy
“The three thin bamboo shoots represent the three mountains of Dewa Sanzan. It explains that they will be climbing Mt. Gassan tomorrow, which is indicated by the bamboo shoot at the center. The second node from the top of the bamboo shoot is made to look like the eighth station, which indicates that they will take a break around there. The sesame tofu has the hidden message of ‘Hakusan Island of Dewa,’ which is the island of Yura coast where the original movement leader, Prince Hachiko had landed. We still disclose these information to the visitors upon request.”
This full-course meal serves the role of providing a road map, and preparing for the path ahead by recognizing the popular spots and holy places within the dishes themselves. It may also have been a communication tool to convey information about the mountain to relax the minds of the mountain priests who spent a moment of rest at the guest house.
Due to the recent rise in mountain visitors from overseas, “Mt. Hagurosan Sanrojo Saikan” started a new Shojin course called “Tsuki Usagi Zen” (Moon Rabbit Course) that has revised its ingredients and broth-taking method so that even vegan visitors can enjoy the meal. They decided to do so with the hopes that as many people as possible can enjoy the cuisine. Head Chef Ito says that although this particular course is something new, it is still rooted in its traditional preparation and seasoning methods. It may seem like it might be somewhat tasteless, but we were surprised to see how delicious it is from all the stocks that were properly taken from the mountain vegetables themselves.
UruiTSURUOKA, UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy
“The ‘Tsuki Usagi Zen’ course is a new Shojin course that we developed after we went to Paris and Hungry in 2011, where we made the Dewa Sanzan Shojin cuisine using the local ingredients. We prepared a similar menu, which serves as the base of this course, at the Milan Expo, but it is seasoned completely differently from a regular Shojin cuisine. The stocks are taken from the mountain vegetables themselves such as shiitake mushroom, and its flavors are all based on mountain ingredients. So although it is a brand new course, it is actually deeply rooted in its origin. What I cherish the most when making a Shojin cuisine is the concept of ‘un-changeability’ that was touted by Basho Matsuo. We welcome the new after fully understanding the wisdom of not changing the tradition. The “Tsuki Usagi Zen’ was definitely created from that space.”
Hagurosan Sanjin GosaidenTSURUOKA, UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy
It seems natural that the hospitality culture of Dewa Sanzan, which prays for world peace, is becoming global. But we must not forget that its foundation is an ancient tradition. This may perhaps be the character of Dewa Sanzan, which solemnly protects their tradition, while being extremely tolerable and having accepted various religions during its long history such as the Shinbutsu Practice*1 and the study eight sects of Buddhism (Hasshu Kengaku)*2.
*1 A religious phenomenon in which Japan's indigenous deity beliefs (Shinto) and Buddhism beliefs (Japanese Buddhism) have been merged and reorganized as a single belief system.
*2 The act of learning the doctrines of the eight sects of Japanese Buddhism. Dewa Sanzan was also a mountain of Hasshu Kengaku.
Cooperation with:
Saikan Haguroyama-Sanrosho Ryokan
Photos: Misa Nakagaki
Tsuruoka City
Text: Orika Uchiumi
Edit: Saori Hayashida
Production: Skyrocket Corporation
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