Mount Matazan

Mount Matazan was an active volcano on the island of Tsukishima in Wa, and the highest peak in the country. Having great spiritual significance, it was a popular destination for pilgrims and tourists.

Geography
Standing in the center of the northern Ikuyu Mountains, just north of the settlement of Ojichizu, Mount Matazan had an elevation of above sea level, making it the tallest mountain in Wa, and the biggest volcano in the country. Considered majestic, it had a conical shape with a gentle slope, and stood atop a wide plateau that spread out from all faces of the mountain.

Hot springs flowed from the flanks of the mountain, and six picturesque lakes lay around the plateau.

Despite this, there was scant vegetation around the foot of the mountain, except at the Garden of the Bloom Lady.

Locations
Dotted around the plateau were dozens of shrines to one or another of the Eight Million Gods, as well as countless roads and trails winding their way up the mountainside. Every year, thousands of tourists and pilgrims climbed Mount Matazan, from its base to its peak.

At regular distances beside the main roads were bathhouses, which were fed by the hot springs. The water was thought to be especially revitalizing, and Wanese physicians commonly recommended that the sick and elderly visit the bathhouses for their health.

The Garden of the Bloom Lady was verdant with wild flowers and cherry trees. It was here that two sister spirits, the beautiful Bloom Lady and the unappealing Rock Lady competed for the hand of Ninigi, the August Grandchild. After Ninigi selected the Bloom Lady as his bride, the Rock Lady cursed her sister's flowers to live but brief lives. The Bloom Lady continued to guard this place, and a shrine to her sat next to a natural spring that fountained ice-cold water all through the year.