※The is the starting point for the mountain climbing course. It is the bottom of the flight of 999 steps to Goshando.

Two mountains seem to rise from the sea when looking at the Oga Peninsula from the water. One of those is called “Mt. Shinzan”, and the other is called “Mt. Honzan.” Gods are said to dwell in these “sacred” mountains, and they are therefore revered as religious objects. The names Shinzan and Honzan were reportedly based on two itinerant monks who spread Kumano Buddhism during the Heian Period. The trail that stretches from Shinzan Shrine to the mountain’s summit, then past Mt. Honzan and Mt. Kenashi before descending to the Goshado is called the “Odekake”, and in the Edo Period, it was frequented by wandering monks as well as commoners in pilgrimage. The Odekake remains beloved to this day, with beginner- and intermediate-level trails.

The ritualistic Sedo Festival of Shinzan Shrine used to also take place on Mt. Honzan long ago. Shugendō monks of the Kumano sect perhaps stood facing one another across Mt. Shinzan and Honzan, like mirror images, to consecrate the twin peaks.
Could the sight of these eccentric monks passing through the mountains have inspired the look of the Namahage? They descend once a year, deliver blessings and admonitions, then go back the way they came. That image certainly recalls the sight of monks descending the mountain to pray. Moreover, why are all the Namahage rituals and events held on the same day throughout the entire peninsula, despite the differences in naming, masks, and customs across its regions? Perhaps the mystery can be explained as the workings of Shugendō monks. That hypothesis, however, remains firmly in the realm of imagination.