Three Mountains of Dewa
After the Meiji Restoration in 1868, Japan's government decided to separate Shinto and Buddhism, making Shinto the official state religion. This affected shugendo negatively, and many of its priests left their religious life. After World War II, shugendo regained its status as a minor religious group. These changes also affected the Dewa Sanzan shrines' designations. In the Empire of Japan, Hagurosan Shrine and Yudonosan Shrine were designated as kokuhei shosha, while Gassan Shrine on Mount Gassan was considered a kanpei taisha. Today all three are considered equal Beppyo shrines