the eighteenth century there was a flourishing Fuji-ko sect. The founder, Hasegawa Kakugyo (1541–1646), did austerities in a small cave at Hitoana, now a registered property, where he had a mystic vision of Fuji as the divine fount of life. Followers were encouraged to do ritualised pilgrimages, and stone markers record their names and the number of worship-ascents.
Amongst other Fuji sites listed with UNESCO are two ‘lava mould caves’ in which trees once covered by lava have rotted to form hollow openings. Here, within the ‘womb’ of Konohanasakuyahime, sect members were symbolically reborn. Elsewhere, purification rites were performed at the Shiraito Falls and at the Oshino Hakkai Springs, fed by underground water from Fuji.
Fuji-ko members were organised into confraternities, for whom guides called Oshi facilitated arrangements. In the town of Fujiyoshida, there were once 86 Oshi lodging houses but today only a handful remain. Ascents of Fuji used to start from one of the Sengen shrines, though nowadays most of the 300,000 climbers drive up to the 5th station. The climbing season is July and August and at peak times, such as weekends, the trail is congested and mountain huts booked out.
Shizuoka fields ripen in the summer sunshine, while behind them snow covers the graceful slopes of Mt Fuji. The climbing season is limited to July and August when the snow has melted.
The replica of a sailing ship on which Europeans once traveled to Japan adds an exotic touch to viewing trips of Mt Fuji on Lake Ashi.
In the past, Fuji Sengen Jinja at Subashiri was one of the main starting points for ascent of the mountain. Extensively damaged by the eruption of 1707, it was rebuilt in 1718.
It’s said that Kawaguchi Asama Shrine was built after eruptions in the ninth century to appease the mountain deity. In the late middle ages, the area became a center for guides called Oshi who led pilgrim-ascents of the volcano.
Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha is notable for its distinctive architecture and pond fed by spring water from the mountain. It stands at the head of over 1,300 shrines nationwide dedicated to Mt Fuji.
One of the fascinations of Fuji is that views can change dramatically, not only from season to season but even during the course of a single day.
Watching the sunrise from the summit is the goal of many climbers, and Goraiko (the coming of light) above the clouds can be a magical experience, shared with hundreds of others.
The volcanic slopes, devoid of vegetation, do not require special climbing skills but can be strenuous near the summit because of the thin air.
Alongside its religious role, Mt Fuji has loomed large in the poetic imagination, inspiring medieval folk tales and the haiku of Matsuo Basho. Already in the eighth-century anthology Manyoshu, reference can be found to Fuji’s divinity.
In the land of Yamato,
It is our treasure, our tutelary god.
It never tires our eyes to look up
To the lofty peak of Mount Fuji.
The mountain also has a long tradition of artistic representation, in which the Fuji Five Lakes play an important role. Scenic viewspots show Fuji’s many guises reflected in the shimmering water, and a scene from Lake Motosu is printed on Japan’s ¥1000 note. Another viewpoint, 28 miles (45 km) away on the coast, is Miho no Matsubara which was popular in the past for Fuji sketches featuring the pines on its beach (associated with the Hagoromo legend about a feathered robe).
The most celebrated pictures, however, are the ukiyo-e paintings by Hokusai Katsushika and Hiroshige Utagawa, who both did Thirty-six Views of Fuji. The latter also produced a series of Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido, which served to imprint the mountain on the modern consciousness, not only in Japan but abroad through its influence on Post-Impressionists. Once a feared volcano, the beauty of ‘Fuji-san’ now bewitches the wider world.
In the past, Fuji could be seen from street level in Tokyo but nowadays views can only be had from observatories on the city’s high-rise buildings.
The Shiraito Falls at Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture, were sacred to the Fuji cult because the water comes from snowmelt of the divine mountain. The name means ‘white thread’, an apt description of the gushing wide arc of the waterfall.
Members of a group to secure World Heritage status for Mt Fuji give thanks for their success at Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine in Fujiyoshida.
The Fuji Five Lakes (Goko) offer some fine views, with ‘reverse Fuji’ reflections in the water particularly treasured. Lake Motosu, pictured here, is featured on Japan’s ¥1000 bank notes.
Fishermen go about their work at Kumomi on the southeastern coast of Izu Peninsula, a popular tourist destination because of the views.
ITSUKUSHIMA SHRINE
THE QUINTESSENTIAL SYMBOL OF JAPAN
ITSUKUSHIMA SHRINE AT A GLANCE
REGISTRATION 1996, for combining architecture with nature in ‘a work of art of incomparable beauty’.
FEATURES A Shinto shrine in an inlet on the island of Miyajima, with 56 wooden structures supported by pillars and connected by corridors.
ACCESS From JR Hiroshima, 25 mins by train to JR Miyajimaguchi, then connecting ferry (10 mins) and 15 mins walk. A direct boat also leaves from Peace Park (55 mins).
PRACTICALITIES 6.30–17.30 (in season). ¥300. Miyajima Tourist Association tel. (0829) 44 0066 (free guided tours, or email [email protected] 10 days in advance). For accommodation information, see the wikivoyage page on Miyajima.
DATELINE
Ancient times—Miyajima regarded as sacred
593—Shinto shrine erected
1168—Present layout established
1868—Shrine and temple buildings separated
Perhaps no other landmark represents Japan as eloquently as Itsukushima. The torii (Shinto gate) that stands in the sea has become an iconic image, evoking the harmony with nature that typifies traditional architecture. The shrine seems at high tide to be floating on the sea,