Shunara Pass, also known locally as Shonara Pass, lies on the border between Aoki Village in Chiisagata District and Chikuhoku Village in Higashichikuma District, Nagano Prefecture. At an elevation of approximately 914 meters, this mountain pass has long served as an important route connecting the Ueda area with the Omi area.
For centuries, the pass was more than simply a route through the mountains. It became an important meeting point for transportation, local culture, and religious traditions. Today, the Maruko-Shinshu Line, a major prefectural road, crosses the pass, while the surrounding mountains provide beautiful scenery throughout the year.
The name of the pass has two commonly encountered pronunciations. Maps and official materials generally use Shunara Pass, while local people traditionally pronounce it Shonara Pass.
The local pronunciation is thought to reflect phonetic characteristics associated with dialects of northern Nagano. For visitors, both forms refer to the same historic mountain pass and sacred landscape.
Near Shunara Pass, at an elevation of approximately 1,037 meters, stands Yasumiya Shrine. The shrine was founded by the ascetic Shonara Daitembu, who practiced Shugendo, a Japanese mountain-based tradition combining Buddhist, Shinto, and folk beliefs, in this area from the final years of the Edo period into the early Meiji period.
Shonara Daitembu is said to have arrived here in 1860, during the late Edo period. He established a place of religious training in the mountains and gradually attracted a large following among local residents.
Yasumiya Shrine continues to enshrine Okuninushi-no-Mikoto, an important deity in Japanese mythology, together with Shonara Daitembu.
One of the most remarkable features of Yasumiya Shrine is the extraordinary collection of more than 860 stone religious figures scattered quietly through the surrounding woodland.
Most of the figures are approximately 30 to 60 centimeters tall. They were donated by worshippers who traveled from areas including the Zenkoji Plain, Chiisagata, Azumino, and Matsumoto. Together, they form an unusual religious landscape that vividly reflects the mixture of Shinto and Buddhist traditions that once characterized Japanese folk religion.
The collection includes an astonishing variety of figures and deities. Among them are representations associated with evil spirits, cats, silkworms, wolves, Dainichi Nyorai, and Jizo. Many of the statues are believed to have been created by the early Meiji period.
Walking through the forest and discovering these small stone figures among the trees creates an atmosphere unlike that of a conventional shrine. Each statue reflects the faith and hopes of the people who brought it here.
Shunara Pass and Yasumiya Shrine have also long been associated with prayers for safe childbirth and the healthy growth of children. A deity known locally as Koyasugami, or Onnagamisama, has traditionally been worshipped here.
Visitors came to express gratitude to the motherly power of nature and to pray for the health and happiness of their children. This tradition adds another deeply personal dimension to the religious history of Shunara.
Shunara Pass is also closely connected with the water systems of the surrounding mountains. On the Chikuhoku side, the Asaka River begins in the vicinity of the pass before flowing toward Chikuhoku and eventually joining the Omi River.
On the Aoki Village side, the Shunara River flows down from the mountains before eventually reaching the Urano River and then the Chikuma River, which becomes the Shinano River farther downstream.
The pass is therefore not only a historic transportation route but also part of the natural watershed that has supported communities on both sides of the mountains.
One theory holds that the name Shunara is a combination of the Sanskrit-related word “ashu-na,” meaning stone, and the Tibetan word “la,” meaning pass. According to this interpretation, Shunara means something like “stone pass.”
The name was historically also written as Sunara. Other theories connect it with the “Sunara people” mentioned in the Nihon Shoki, one of Japan’s oldest chronicles, while another scholarly interpretation suggests that the place name may have been introduced by people who migrated to Japan from the Korean Peninsula.
The exact origin remains a subject of interpretation, but the various theories demonstrate how deeply the name of this mountain pass is connected with the long history of the region.
The pass was originally known as Asaka Pass. As the religious activities of Shonara Daitembu became established, however, the route came to be regarded as an approach to Shunara-sama, the revered figure associated with the mountain sanctuary.
Over time, the name Shunara Pass became widely used, reflecting the transformation of an ordinary mountain route into a place associated with pilgrimage and religious devotion.
Shunara Pass gradually gained wider recognition in modern times. In 1964, it was introduced in the Shin-Etsu Broadcasting public-relations magazine “Nihon no Yane”, helping bring attention to the area beyond the local community.
In 1969, the stone and wooden religious figures at Shonarayama Yasumiya Shrine were registered as a cultural property of Chikuhoku Village. In 1992, Shunara Pass was also selected for the Nagano Prefecture Top 100 Tourist Highlights in the historic-site category.
Shunara Pass is also known as a scenic destination for seasonal flowers. Around mid-May, cherry trees around the shrine come into full bloom, creating an atmospheric contrast between the delicate blossoms and the secluded mountain sanctuary.
From early to mid-June, the grounds are decorated with delicate Miyakowasure flowers. Their understated beauty complements the quiet woodland setting and makes early summer another particularly appealing time to visit.
From the Omi Interchange on the Nagano Expressway, the pass is approximately 12 minutes by car. From the Ueda-Sugadaira Interchange on the Joshin-etsu Expressway, the drive takes approximately 50 minutes.
Visitors traveling by train can take a taxi from Seikodai Station on the JR East Shinonoi Line. The journey takes approximately 12 minutes.
Shunara Pass can be combined with several other attractions in the surrounding mountains. Kusayu Onsen is a quiet hot-spring destination tucked into the hills, while Tazawa Onsen is a historic hot-spring resort with a long bathing tradition.
Shioda Plain, often called the “Kamakura of Shinshu,” is known for its concentration of historic temples, shrines, and cultural sites. The nearby Hofukuji Pass and Sarugamababa Pass offer opportunities to enjoy mountain scenery and hiking.
In Aoki Village, Miyabuchi Shrine is another cultural attraction, featuring a historic kagura hall dating from 1863.
Shunara Pass is a remarkable destination where mountain scenery, local history, folklore, and religious traditions come together. The quiet path leading through the forest to Yasumiya Shrine and its extraordinary collection of stone figures offers visitors a rare opportunity to experience the atmosphere of traditional Japanese mountain worship.
Rather than being a single monument or attraction, Shunara is a landscape shaped by generations of people who traveled through the mountains, worshipped here, and entrusted their hopes to the stone deities. The more than 860 stone figures quietly standing among the trees are perhaps the clearest expression of that enduring faith.
For travelers interested in Japanese spirituality, folklore, historic mountain routes, and peaceful nature, Shunara Pass offers an unusually intimate experience. Visit in spring for the cherry blossoms or in early summer for the Miyakowasure flowers, and take time to explore the forest at a leisurely pace. Here, the silence of the mountains provides a setting in which the history and beliefs of the region can still be felt today.