Mount Ishizuchi — Shikoku's Highest Sacred Peak

Mount Ishizuchi (石鎚山, 1,982m) is the highest peak in western Japan and one of Japan's seven sacred mountains, a Shugendo (mountain asceticism) training site for over 1,300 years. The summit route includes chain climbs — vertical steel chains anchored to near-vertical rock faces that climbers use to scale exposed cliffs (chains can be bypassed via adjacent stairs).

The mountain is climbed year-round, with snow and ice covering the summit November–April. The Ishizuchi Shrine at the peak sees thousands of pilgrims during the annual climbing festival (July 1–10).