▼翻訳文章
蔵王へのいざない
魂をはぐくむ聖なる山、蔵王。その自然は激しい火山活動と生物の四季のいと
なみを物語って、今日も、また、人々を誘う。
蔵王への道しるべ
蔵王山麓の路傍にたつ信仰碑は人びとと蔵王とを結ぶ証である。
蔵王の動植物
自然が作り出す美の世界、植物の模式的な垂直分布や多彩な高山植物は、蔵王
山を象徴するものです。山腹のブナやアオモリトドマツの樹林帯は、熊やカモシ
カのすみかとなり、ウソやホシガラスが飛びかっています。山頂の火山荒原には
蔵王の名花コマクサが咲きほこり、アマツバメの群舞がみられます。
蔵王を彩る植物
眩いばかりの緑の原や荒々しい火山荒原には、蔵王を代表する名花が四季折々
に咲き競います。火山の砂礫地(されきち)には可憐なピンクの花をつけるコマク
サが群生し、山頂のお花畑では深紅色のイワカガミ、白色のヒナザクラ・チング
ルマ、紫色のムシトリスミレ・ハクサンチドリなど、高山の花の開花饗宴がみら
れます。
蔵王修験の世界
蔵王は、古くから神のすむ山として、多くの人々の信仰をあつめてきました。
霊山への崇拝は、やがて修験道という独自の宗教をうみだします。上山からも、
蔵王に向かう修行の道がひらかれ、そこには霊気ただよう神聖な世界になってい
ます。
蔵王修験の世界
蔵王の修験者(しゅげんじゃ)
山伏(やまぶし)たちは行場(ぎょうば)に籠もり、道を求めて修行に励みました。
清水(すず)の姥神
霊界と俗界との間でその橋渡しをする仙女として、古くから多くの登拝者にあ
がめられてきました。
蔵王権現(ざおうごんげん)
役小角(えんのおづぬ)（別名・役行者(えんのぎょうじゃ)）によってもたらさ
れた蔵王権現は、修験信仰の中心となりました。
江戸時代の上山のようすは、残された絵図によってしることができます。藩政
時代はお城が中心に描かれ、周辺にある武家屋敷や神社仏閣なども丁寧にかきこ
まれています。近代に入ると写真技術が普及し、明治・大正・昭和の上山の名所
が映像として記録されるようになります。現代とは異なるなつかしい情景が、流
れた時の長さをおしえてくれます。
羽州街道―道を描く―
羽州街道とは福島県桑折から七ヶ宿(しちがしゅく)、上山、山形、秋田、弘前
を経て青森県油川(あぶらかわ)までいたる江戸時代に整備された道筋をいいます。
上山藩内には三宿（上山、川口、楢下）があり、上山と楢下には大名が宿泊す
る本陣、脇本陣がおかれました。特に、上山は城下町、温泉町、宿場町として知
られていたこともあり、大名行列や幕府の巡見使(じゅんけんし)のほか、商人や
出羽三山への参詣人など多くの人々が訪れ、にぎわいをみせていました。なかに
は、上山を訪れた時の様子を道中記や紀行文、日記に記した人々も多く、当時の
街道や上山の宿場の様相をうかがい知ることができます。
▼英訳
Invitation toward Zao
Zao, the sacred mountain that brings up the spirit.
The nature that tells a story of seasonal natural activities and violent volcanic activities is still now luring many people.
Guide to Zao
The numerous stone monuments alongside the routes at the foot of the mountain are the proofs that bind the people to Zao.
The flora and fauna of Zao
In this beautiful world created by nature, the vegetation schematically and perpendicularly distributed and the various wild plants are the symbols of Mt.Zao. The mountainside, covered with a forest of Japanese beech and Maries' fir, is the habitat of animals such as bears and wild goats. Japanese bullfinch and spotted nutcracker can also be seen flying. In the wilderness in the volcano on the summit, Zao’s famous flower dicentra blooms and the swifts can be seen dancing in groups.
The vegetation that colors Zao
In the dazzling greenery of the mountain and the rough wilderness of the volcano, Zao’s famous flower may sometime be seen blooming from season to season. In the volcano’s soil covered in pebble, beautiful pink dicentra may be seen growing in masses. On the flower fields on the summit, the crimson iwakagami, the white hinazakura – chinguruma and the purple mushitorisumire – hakusanchidori offer a spectuacular view in the high mountains.
Zao’s ascetic world
Since long ago, Zao has been a resting place for gods and many people came for religious reasons. Before long, with the worshiping of the sacred mountain, Japanese mountain asceticism became one of the main characteristic of Zao. There are some roads for asceticism heading toward Zao, where an aura of holiness can be felt, accessible from Kaminoyama also.
Zao’s ascetic world
Zao’s mountaineering ascetic
The mountain priests seclude themselves in the mountain while searching for their way and devoting themselves to ascetic practices.
Suzu-no-ubagami
As a fairy mediating between our world and the spirit world, she has been worshiped since long ago by mountain climbers.
Zao-Gongen
Due to Ennoozunu also known as Ennogyoja, Zao-Gongen was brought about and became the focal point of ascetic believes.
Many things can be understood from the remaining drawings from Kaminoyama during the Edo period. During the Hansai period, the castle was in the center and surrounded by samurai residences and Buddhist and Shinto shrines. In present days, with the growing photographic art, more hand more about the appearance of the Kaminoyama of the Meiji-Taisho-Showa eras are being understood every day. Many things can be learned by watching the very different nostalgic scenery of the Kaminoyama of those periods that displays the long flow of time.
Ushu Kaido – drawing the road
Ushu Kaido is a route that was established during the Edo period that starts from Shichigashuku in the Fukushima prefecture then go through Kaminoyama, Yamagata, Akita, Hirosaki to then reache Aburakawa in the Aomori prefecture.
Three of the relay towns on this route are Kaminoyama, Kawaguchi and Narage.
As for in Kaminoyama and Narage, there was a secondary residence for the Daimyo where he could stay. The town of Kaminoyama, known as a castle town, a hot spring town and a relay town was especially seen as busy due to the many visitors such as the Daimyo’s procession, the shogunate’s traveling inspectors, merchants, visitors of the Dewa Sanzan and many more. Among those visitors, many wrote about their travel and Kaminoyama quickly became well known as a relay town.