Mt. Fuji

The charm of Mt. Fuji

Mount Fuji is the tallest and most beautiful mountain in Japan.

Mount Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan, is a mountain with an elevation of 3,776m and is an independent mountain that represents Japan. Due to the majestic beauty of its ridgeline, it has been a source of various cultures in people's lives since ancient times. Mount Fuji was born 2 to 300 million to 500 million years ago. It began with the eruption of an undersea volcano, and after four major eruptions, it became a stratovolcano with a sloping surface that stretches abundantly to Suruga Bay. The slope increases as you approach the peak, forming a beautiful cone shape that boasts the greatest beauty in Japan and has been loved by people both in the past and present. Fujinomiya City is an area that spreads out on the southwestern foot of Mount Fuji. It is also the city with the greatest elevation difference in Japan from the base of Mount Fuji to the summit. The Fujinomiya trail is 4m above sea level and is the highest of the five stations. You can enjoy various views of Mount Fuji from almost all over the city. From the southern foot of the city, you can see the highest peak, Kengamine, in the center of the mountain peak, and the graceful shape of Mount Hoei to the right of the flowing ridge. From the western foot of the mountain, such as Asagiri Highlands, you can enjoy the fierce Mount Fuji with the Osawa Kuzure in the center.
Mount Fuji from Fujinomiya city

Mount Fuji World Cultural Heritage Site (Fujinomiya City)

Abundant assets that demonstrate Mount Fuji's value as an object of worship and a source of artistic inspiration

The World Cultural Heritage site of Mt. Fuji was recognized as proof of its value as an "object of worship" and "source of artistic inspiration" since ancient times, and the value of its constituent assets was evaluated and recognized. The site is made up of 25 constituent assets in total, including the Mt. Fuji area, which includes Mt. Fuji itself, which straddles Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures. Fujinomiya City owns six of these, including the Mt. Fuji area and Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha Shrine.

1. Mount Fuji area

Fujinomiya City is home to two components of the Mount Fuji region.

1-1 Mountaintop worship ruins

At the summit of Mt. Fuji, there are several places and facilities related to worship of Mt. Fuji, such as the inner shrine of Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha Shrine and torii gates. These tell us that Mt. Fuji was an object of worship and a place of ascetic practices.
Ginmeisui at the summit

1-2 Omiya-Murayama Trail

The Omiya-Murayama trail is an old trail that starts at Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha Shrine, passes through Murayama Sengen Shrine, and reaches the south side of the summit. The property area corresponds to the current Fujinomiya trail above the sixth station.
Fujinomiya Trail

2. Mount Fuji Hongu Sengen Taisha Shrine

Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha Shrine is a shrine that holds the status of being the number one shrine in Suruga Province. It is also the head shrine of the more than 1300 Sengen shrines across the country, and its grounds include the area above the eighth station of Mount Fuji. The deity worshipped is Konohanasakuyahime, and within the grounds are the main hall donated by Tokugawa Ieyasu, which is designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan, and Wakutama Pond, a special natural monument where underground water from Mount Fuji springs forth. The 500 cherry trees within the grounds create a landscape that is famous as a cherry blossom viewing spot.
Mount Fuji Hongu Sengen Taisha Shrine and weeping cherry blossoms

3 Yamamiya Sengen Shrine

Yamamiya Sengen Shrine is the origin of Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha Shrine and boasts a history of over 1900 years, worshiping Mt. Fuji as its sacred object. There is no main shrine building, and worshipers can view Mt. Fuji from a distant worship site, so the shrine still conveys the ancient worship of Mt. Fuji. It is said that the shrine was moved to this place by Emperor Yamato Takeru.
Yamamiya Sengen Shrine Worship Site

4 Murayama Sengen Shrine

This shrine is a place of training for those who believe in Mt. Fuji, and was once the starting point of the Murayama hiking trail. Within the grounds, as a custom of syncretism between Shinto and Buddhism, the Dainichi Hall is enshrined along with the Sengen Shrine, and it has passed down the history of faith by mountain ascetics. Within the grounds, there are large cedar and ginkgo trees designated as natural monuments by Shizuoka Prefecture.
Mount Fuji Ceremony (Goma Fire) at Murayama Sengen Shrine

5 Hitoana Fujiko Site

The Hitoana Fujiko ruins are one of the constituent assets that show the value of Mount Fuji as an "object of worship." It was the training ground for Fujiko's founder, Hasegawa Kakugyo, and is said to have been where he passed away after his ascetic practices. There are about 230 monuments and pagodas built by his followers, including Hitoana Fuuketsu, where he passed away after his ascetic practices.
Hitoana Fujiko Site

6 Shiraito Falls

The waterfall, where the underground water of Mt. Fuji falls from the cliff like silk threads, shows feminine beauty and a gentle landscape. It is 20m high and 150m wide, and is a scenic spot that conveys to viewers the grandeur of the shapes created by Mt. Fuji. In the past, it was known as the place where Minamoto no Yoritomo stopped by during hunting parties to purify himself and compose poems. It is a national scenic spot and natural monument.
Panoramic view of Shiraito Falls

Map

Map of Fujinomiya City's constituent assets

Fuji Mandala, colored on silk

"Mt. Fuji Mandala on Silk" (Owned by Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha Shrine, not currently open to the public, Muromachi period, National Important Cultural Property) Mt. Fuji is depicted at the top, and the grounds of Sengen Shrine are depicted at the bottom left. Replicas are available at Nagayamon "Rekishi no Yakata" and Fujinomiya City Central Library.