The locals believed that a spirit called Otakamoi lived there

The hard climb to Otayama, on the island of Hokkaido, the most dangerous shrine in Japan

Esp 2·03·2025 · 23:30 0

There are religions that put their believers' faith to the test with harsh trials. On a mountain in Japan, that test is not suitable for everyone.

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The Otayama Shinto Shrine, founded between 1441 and 1443, is probably one of the most difficult places of worship in the world to access. The ancient Ainu inhabitants of this mountain believed that a spirit called Otakamoi lived there, and worshipped him as a guardian deity of the Ezo region. The shrine is located in a cave on Mount Ota in the west of Hokkaido Island, at an altitude of 485 meters. The climb to the shrine is very difficult. The path starts from a coastal road, Route 740 in Fukuoka Prefecture.

Once you pass the first torii (the traditional gates of Japanese Shinto shrines), the first section of the climb is a staircase of 139 steps at an angle of more than 40 degrees. There are two ropes to be able to overcome this first test without risk, since a fall would have terrible consequences. The route continues with another steep staircase, after which begins a tough climb through the mountain, which culminates with a bridge that would make Indiana Jones tremble.

A few weeks ago, the Japanese YouTube channel Watatabi posted a video showing the difficult climb to this sanctuary, a test not suitable for everyone (the video is in Japanese, you can activate the automatic subtitles in English in the bottom bar of the player):

You can see some screenshots from this video here. This is the first, steep flight of 139 steps leading from the torii that serves as the entrance to the shrine.

Another torii with a small place of prayer on the way to the shrine, which is even higher up.

The final part of the climb has extremely hard parts, like this one, where you have to climb up some large chains.

The bridge leading to the rock wall where the shrine is. The pieces of rope on the ground are to prevent slipping on rainy days.

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