Midorigaike Pond

Near the peak of Mt. Haku are seven crater pools that have been sites of religious veneration since medieval times. Midorigaike, the largest of the seven, formed during a 1042 eruption and takes its name from the emerald-green color of its water, which comes from hot-spring minerals seeping up from below. Buddhist ascetics climbing Mt. Haku considered rounding all seven pools a miniature pilgrimage. Medieval mandalas depicting the mountain and its surroundings show Midorigaike as the dwelling place of the mountain deity, with the belief that the faithful might witness the deity rising from the water. Legend also held that drinking from it could extend one's life.