Mount Sōun

Mount Sōun [僧云山; そううんさん] is a mountain located in the Ikumo range in north Kanton. It has a height of 700 metres, making it the second-smallest in the range. The slopes of the mountain were designated for protection in 1960, and renamed the Sōun Nature Reserve. Nowadays, visitors to the mountain are frequent, as there are plenty of hiking trails, along with wildlife to spot and the beautiful Sōun Temple.
Mount Sōun has long been regarded as a holy mountain and object of worship, along with being a destination for pilgrims. Much like Mount Senyu, it was often visited by religious zealots, and was sometimes used as a place of purification, especially when cleansing sinners of their karma. Religiously-motivated mountaineering has been practiced since at least the 1300s, and the various hiking trails around the mountain's slopes are mostly ancient paths once used by travelling monks. 
At the top of the mountain stands the Sōun Temple, dedicated to the memory of Tadaki Benno, a revered and famous priest of the 18th century who is entombed within the building. There are five or six old shrines dating from the 1600s-1800s which can be discovered across the mountain's area. Traditionally, farmers would pray at these shrines for blessings, good fortune, or simple favours from the gods such as rain.
Category:Mountains