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{{Short description|Asian local mountain gods}}
{{Infobox Chinese
| hangul = 산신
| hanja = 山神
| rr = Sansin
| mr = Sansin
| image = Brooklyn Museum - Mountain Spirit (Sanshin).jpg
| caption = A Korean representation of a ''sanshin''
| c = 山神
| p = shānshén
| kanji = 山の神
| kana = やまのかみ
| romaji = Yama no Kami
| qn = sơn thần <br> thần núi
| chunom = 神𡶀 
| chuhan = 山神
}}
'''Mountain Gods''' ({{zh|c=山神}}) are Asian [[tutelary deities]] associated with mountains.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-02-28 |title=THE MOUNTAIN GOD AND THE MONASTERY – THE PECULIAR CASE OF THE SHANSHEN SHRINE |url=https://taiwaninsight.org/2020/02/28/the-mountain-god-and-the-monastery-the-peculiar-case-of-the-shanshen-shrine/ |access-date=2023-04-23 |website=Taiwan Insight |language=en}}</ref> They are related to [[Landlord deity|landlord deities]] and [[tudigong]]s and [[City God (China)|City Gods]].

They are well-known in Korea and some prominent Chinese mountains have shrines to similar deities in the [[Daoist]] traditions, called ''Shanshen''.
The Japanese equivalent is the ''[[Yama-no-Kami]]'' ({{lang|ja|山の神}}; also pronounced as ''yamagami'') and the Vietnamese equivalent is {{lang|vi|Sơn thần (山神}}).<ref name="Mason Website" /><ref name="Mason Book" />

[[Houtu]] is the overlord of all the [[Tudigong]]s ("Lord of Local Land"), [[Soil and grain|Sheji]] ("the State"), '''Shan Shen''' ("God of Mountains"), [[City God (China)|City Gods]] ("God of Local City"), and [[landlord gods]] worldwide.

==China==
In China, legends about ''Shanshen'' ({{lang|zh|山神}}) have a long history. The [[Classic of Mountains and Seas]] ({{lang|zh|山海经}}), which was written more than 2,000 years ago, has already recorded various legends about ''Shanshen''; specifically the Wuzang Shanjing ({{lang|zh|五藏山经}}) part contains a detailed description of the appearance of the mountain gods. The [[Taiping Guangji]] ({{lang|zh|太平广记}}) also contains the story of Dayu, who imprisoned the Shangzhang clan and the Dulu clan, among other ''Shanshen''. 

Ancient Chinese people worshipped mountains by deifying them. From the ''Shanshen''<nowiki/>'s title to see the mountain god worship is extremely complex, all kinds of ghosts and spirits are attached to the mountain. Eventually, the names and differences of the various ghosts and spirits disappeared, or they merged with each other. It evolved into a situation where the main peaks of each region were inhabited by personalised ''Shanshens''. According to the Law of Sacrifices in the [[Confucianism|Confucian]] classic [[Book of Rites]], "the mountains, forests, valleys and hills, which can produce clouds, provide wind and rain, and see monsters, are all called gods."<ref>{{lang|zh|《礼记·祭法》：“山林川谷丘陵，能出云，为风雨，见怪物，皆曰神。}}</ref> When Emperor [[Yu the Great|Yu]] and [[Emperor Shun|Shun]] had the sacrificial system of "looking at the mountains and rivers, all over the gods", legend has it that Shun had a tour of Mount Tai, Mount Heng, Mount Hua and Mount Heng. Successive generations of the Son of Heaven Zen carry out sacrifices to heaven and earth, and also to the gods of the mountains. Most of the mountain sacrifices were made with jade and jade buried in the ground, and there were also the sacrificial methods of "casting" and "hanging", whereby offerings of chickens, goats, pigs or jade were thrown into the valleys or hung in the treetops.

The deities of the [[Sacred Mountains of China|Five Sacred Mountains of China]] are collectively known as ''Wuyue Dadi'' [<nowiki/>[[:zh:五嶽大帝|zh]]] ({{lang|zh|五嶽大帝}}, lit. Great Kings of the Five Sacred Mountains):

* [[Chidi (god)|Chidi]] of [[Mount Heng (Hunan)|Mount Heng]] (South Mountain)
* [[Dongyue Emperor]] of [[Mount Tai]] (East Mountain)
* [[Heidi (god)|Heidi]] of [[Mount Heng (Shanxi)|Mount Heng]] (North Mountain)
* [[Yellow Emperor|Huangdi]] of [[Mount Song]] (Center Mountain)
* [[Xiyue Dadi]] of [[Mount Hua]] (West Mountain)
===Other mountain deities===
*[[Lishan Laomu]], the goddess of [[Mount Li]]
*[[Yaoji]], the goddess of [[Wu Gorge|Wu Mountains]]

==Korea==
{{redirect|Sansin|the Japanese musical instrument|Sanshin}}
[[File:Korea-Busan-Beomeosa Sallyeonggak 6282-07.JPG|thumb|The ''sanshingak'' of [[Beomeosa]], [[Busan]]]]
'''''Sanshin''''' or '''''Sansin''''' ({{korean|hanja=山神|hangul=산신}}) are local mountain-spirits in [[Korean Shamanism]] and folk-beliefs. In South Korea, most [[Buddhist temple]]s and major Shamanic-shrines, and some traditionalist villages, have a dedicated shrine called a ''sanshin-gak'' ({{korean|hangul=산신각|hanja=山神閣}}) or an altar called a ''sanshin-dan'' dedicated to the local ''sanshin''.  This nature-deity is typically represented in the enshrined icons (paintings and/or statues) as an elder male (in rare cases, mature female) figure in royal-Confucian clothing, always accompanied by at least one [[tiger]] and a Korean Red Pine tree.  There are many other symbols being held by the Sanshin, offered to him by servants or in the backgrounds of the more elaborate paintings, derived from Oriental [[Daoism]], [[Buddhism]], [[Neo-Confucianism]], shamanic-folklore and Korean "spiritual-ethnic nationalism"—making these multi-religious icons unique in the entire world.<ref name="Mason Website">Prof. [[David A. Mason]] maintains a gigantic website about Korean Sanshin Mountain-spirits, at http://san-shin.org/</ref><ref name="Mason Book">{{Cite book |title=Spirit of the Mountains: Korea's San-Shin and Traditions of Mountain-worship |year=1999 |isbn=1565911075}}</ref>

The ''Sanshin'' faith is interpreted in the folk scene as a belief devoted to the mountain gods. The mountain's beauty, its mystery, and the perceived shape that soars toward the sky are combined to inspire [[mountain worship]] on an emotional level. The upper mountain slopes, cliffs and peaks are seen as  is the realm of the spirits and the places to communicate with them and attain visions or enlightenment. The faith that the mountain is believed-in as a mystical body that provides abundance and protection is very ancient in all Korea, and continues today in public or private Sanshin-je (mountain-spirit ceremonies) Seonang-gut (tutelary-deity rituals). When the mountain is located between [[Heaven]] and the earth where human beings live, and serves as a link between those two worlds, it is believed to be a representation of the universal [[world mountain]], thought by traditional religions like [[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]] and [[Geomancy]] to rise at the center of the world.<ref>{{Cite web |script-title=ko:산신신앙(山神信仰) |url=https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0026270 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230423212219/https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0026270 |archive-date=23 Apr 2023 |access-date=23 May 2020 |website=[[Encyclopedia of Korean Culture]] |language=ko}}</ref>

There are particular shamanic-folklore individual Sanshins, such as Eunje-san Seongmo ({{lang|ko|운제산성모; 雲梯山聖母}}), who is the wife of ''Namhae Yong-wang'' or Dragon King of the South Sea, ''Jiri-san Seongmo Cheonwang'' ({{lang|ko|지리산성모천왕}}) or Exquisite-Wisdom Mountain Holy-Mother Heaven-king, and ''Mireuk Sanshin Halmi'' ({{lang|ko|미륵산신할미}}) or Future-Buddha Mountain-spirit Grandma, to name just a few.<ref name="Mason Website" /><ref name="Mason Book" />

Such deities are officially sanctioned symbols of [[Korean reunification]], and are possibly moving towards being used as symbols of environmental preservation<ref>{{Cite web |title=Intro to Korean San-shin, Sansin or Mountain-spirits |url=http://san-shin.org/index3.html |access-date=2023-04-23 |website=san-shin.org}}</ref>

=={{Anchor|Japan}}Japan==
{{redirect|Yamagami|other uses|Yamagami (disambiguation)}}{{Expand Japanese|topic=cult|山の神|section=yes|date=April 2023}}
[[File:Niigata Yama-no-Kami.jpg|thumb|right|240px|Shrine in [[Niigata, Niigata]].]]
'''Yama-no-Kami''' ({{lang|ja|山の神}}) is the name given to a [[kami]] of the mountains of the [[Shinto]] religion of [[Japan]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Yama-no-kami {{!}} Japanese religion {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Yama-no-kami |access-date=2023-04-23 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> These can be of two different types.<ref name=":0" />  The first type is a god of the mountains who is worshipped by hunters, woodcutters, and charcoal burners.<ref name=":0" />  The second is a god of [[agriculture]] who comes down from the mountains and is worshipped by farmers.<ref name=":0" /> This kami is generally considered as a goddess, or a female deity.<ref>{{Cite web |last=D |first=John |date=2014-08-20 |title=Mountain kami |url=https://www.greenshinto.com/2014/08/20/mountain-kami-yama-no-kami/ |access-date=2023-04-24 |website=Green Shinto |language=en-GB}}</ref>

A [[Kannabi]] is often associated with Mountain Gods. It is a natural area including a mountain which acts as a [[Shintai]] for a Kami.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://archive.today/20230407173533/https://d-museum.kokugakuin.ac.jp/eos/detail/?id=9690 | title=Kannabi &#124; |script-title=ja:國學院大學デジタルミュージアム }}</ref>

=== List of Japanese mountain gods ===
Yama-no-Kami appearing in [[Japanese mythology]] include:

*Hara-Yamatsumi ({{lang|ja|原山津見神}})
*Ha-Yamatsumi ({{lang|ja|羽山津見神}})
*[[Konohanasakuya-hime]] ({{lang|ja|木花之開耶姫}}), the wife of [[Ninigi-no-Mikoto]] and great-grandmother of [[Emperor Jimmu]].<ref name=":0" />
*[[Kukurihime|Shirayama-hime]] ({{lang|ja|白山比咩神}}), the goddess of [[Mount Haku]]san.<ref name="shs">''Shirayama Hime Shrine history compilation committee edition'' "Hakusan Faith illustration" (Shirayama Hime Shrine, 2003)</ref><ref name="ekdc">''Emperor Keishinkai Digital Collection'', National Diet Library "Kokuzai Chusha Hakusanjo Shrine" "National Famous Shrine Photographs," Imperial Keishinkai, December 1922 .</ref><ref name="mdfdd">''Morokami Divine Festival Deity Dictionary'' pp. 446-447 "Shirayama Hime Shrine"</ref><ref># ''Yama no reiryoku'' (''Mountain spirit power'') pp. 177-178 "Hakusan that Jomon people also danced to"</ref><ref name="sev12">''Shinto Encyclopedia Volume One'' piece 264 (original 455 pages) [ Kukurihimenomomikoto　Kikurihime]</ref>
*Kura-Yamatsumi ({{lang|ja|闇山津見神}})
*[[Ōyamatsumi]] ({{lang|ja|大山津見神}}), the father of Konohanasakuya-hime.<ref name=":0" />
*Masaka-Yamatsumi ({{lang|ja|正鹿山津見神}})
*Odo-Yamatsumi ({{lang|ja|淤縢山津見神}})
*Oku-Yamatsumi ({{lang|ja|奥山津見神}})
*[[Omonoimi no Kami]] ({{lang|ja|大物忌神}}) of [[Mount Chōkai]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yamabushi |first=Kiwi |date=2022-12-15 |title=The Creepy Legend of Japan's Chokai-san (Mt. Chokai) |url=https://medium.com/japonica-publication/the-creepy-legend-of-japans-chokai-san-mt-chokai-43f359d0ade1 |access-date=2023-04-23 |website=Japonica Publication |language=en}}</ref>
*[[Ōmononushi]] of [[Mount Miwa]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1IJrNAKBpycC&pg=PA299 |title=Nihongi: Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A.D. 697 |date=1896 |publisher=Society |isbn=978-0-524-05347-8 |language=en}}</ref>
*[[Oyamakui no Kami]] ({{lang|ja|大山咋神}}), the god of [[Mount Hiei]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-05-27 |title=Sanpai Japan - Hiejinja(Shrine) |url=http://sanpai-japan.com/2016/05/27/hieshrine/ |access-date=2023-04-23 |website=Sanpai Japan |language=en-US}}</ref>
*Shigi-Yamatsumi ({{lang|ja|志藝山津見神}})
*To-Yamatsumi ({{lang|ja|戸山津見神}})

==Vietnam==
[[File:Miếu Bà Chúa Xứ (12816644963).jpg|thumb|Bà Chúa Xứ Temple in Sam Mountain, [[Châu Đốc]], [[An Giang]]]]

Some of the most popularly worshiped mountain deities in Vietnam 
* [[Bà Chúa Xứ]], the goddess of [[Sam Mountain]]
* [[Bà Đen]], the goddess of [[Black Virgin Mountain]]
* [[Bà Rá]], the goddess of [[Bà Rá Mountain]]
* [[Mẫu Thượng Ngàn]]
* [[Tản Viên Sơn Thánh]], [[Thần Cao Sơn]] and [[Thần Quý Minh]], the gods of [[Ba Vì mountain range]]

==See also==
* [[Xian (Taoism)]]
* [[Hou Tu]]
* [[Lords of the Three Mountains]]
* [[Shigandang]]
* [[Tudigong]]
* [[Mountain worship]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Jmyth navbox long}}
{{Korean mythology}}
{{Religious Confucianism}}
{{Shinto shrines}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mountain God}}
[[Category:Japanese deities]]
[[Category:Japanese folk religion]]
[[Category:Nature deities]]
[[Category:Shinto kami]]
[[Category:Mountain gods]]
[[Category:Korean mythology]]
[[Category:Mountain faith]]
[[Category:Tutelary deities]]
[[Category:Vietnamese deities]]