Mountains and Their Importance for the Idea of the Other World in Japanese Folk Religion Author(s): Ichiro Hori Source: History of Religions, Vol. 6, No. 1 (Aug., 1966), pp. 1-23 Published by: The University of Chicago Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1062094 Accessed: 10-10-2017 22:28 UTC JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact
[email protected]. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://about.jstor.org/terms The University of Chicago Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to History of Religions This content downloaded from 206.224.223.250 on Tue, 10 Oct 2017 22:28:36 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms Ichiro Hori MOUNTAINS AND THEIR IMPORTANCE FOR THE IDEA OF THE OTHER WORLD IN JAPANESE FOLK RELIGION INTRODUCTION-MOUNTAINS AND MOUNTAIN ASCETICS Japan presents to the observer a very complicated mountain worship which has developed along diverse lines and become quite widespread. Edward Morse, a pioneer of Japanese archeology and natural history, wrote that he was much impressed upon observ- ing that almost every high mountain top has its own shrine and that some of them are piously worshiped by thousands of people who climb there in summer after many miles of arduous travel.l Mountain worship is intricately involved with Japanese history.