UNESCO · Cultural · 2013
Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration
富士山―信仰の対象と芸術の源泉ふじさん―しんこうのたいしょうとげいじゅつのげんせんFuji-san – Shinkō no Taishō to Geijutsu no GensenThe sacred mountain that became the icon of Japan
Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration, is the World Heritage property of Mount Fuji, Japan's highest peak at 3,776 m, inscribed in 2013 as a cultural rather than natural site. Its 25 components in Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures — the upper mountain, pilgrim routes, Sengen shrines, lodging houses, lakes, springs, lava formations and the pine beach of Miho no Matsubara — reflect centuries of mountain worship and the image of Fuji in Japanese and world art.
Overview
Mount Fuji is an almost symmetrical stratovolcano rising alone from near sea level to 3,776 m on the border of Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures. Its eruptions inspired fear and awe from early times; shrines were built at its foot to pacify the deity of the volcano, later identified with the goddess Konohanasakuya-hime, and worshipped under the name Asama or Sengen. From the 12th century ascetics began to climb it, and by the Edo period mass pilgrimage had become a popular movement.
That movement, the Fuji-ko confraternities founded in the teachings of the ascetic Hasegawa Kakugyo, organised groups of pilgrims from Edo and elsewhere who climbed the mountain in white robes after purifying themselves in the springs and lakes at its foot. Lodging houses run by oshi, pilgrimage masters, sprang up in Fujiyoshida at the start of the Yoshida trail. Those who could not travel built fujizuka, miniature Fujis, in their own towns.
Fuji was also painted and written about more than any other landscape in Japan, from the poems of the Man'yoshu to Katsushika Hokusai's Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji and Utagawa Hiroshige's prints, which carried its image to Europe and influenced Western art in the 19th century. The property therefore includes not only the upper mountain but also places from which it was worshipped and depicted, among them Miho no Matsubara, a pine-lined beach some 45 km away.
Why it is World Heritage
UNESCO inscribed Fujisan under two cultural criteria. It bears exceptional testimony to a living cultural tradition of worship centred on a mountain, in which ascent, pilgrimage and purification at springs and lakes were believed to bring rebirth and communion with the deities; this tradition is embodied in the trails, shrines, lodging houses and lava formations of the property (criterion iii).
Fuji's image, as a solitary, often snow-capped cone rising above lakes and the sea, inspired artists and poets and became an icon of Japan. Through Ukiyo-e prints it made an important contribution to the development of Western art in the 19th century (criterion vi).
The choice of cultural rather than natural criteria was deliberate: environmental pressures and development around the mountain had weighed against a natural nomination, and the cultural value lies in the relationship between people and the mountain.
Component sites
- 山頂の信仰遺跡群Sanchō no Shinkō Iseki-gun
The crater rim with its shrines and worship sites, including the Okumiya of Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha, whose shrine owns the mountain above the eighth station.
Pilgrim trails
登山道TozandōThe historic Yoshida, Subashiri, Suyama and Omiya-Murayama routes by which pilgrims climbed, largely followed by the modern climbing trails.
- 浅間神社Sengen-jinja
Shrines at the foot of the mountain, above all Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha in Fujinomiya, head of some 1,300 Sengen shrines, and Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Jinja in Fujiyoshida at the start of the Yoshida trail.
Oshi lodging houses
御師住宅Oshi JūtakuThe former houses of the Togawa and Osano families in Fujiyoshida, where pilgrimage masters lodged and guided Fuji-ko members before the ascent.
- 富士五湖Fuji Goko
Lakes Yamanaka, Kawaguchi, Sai, Shoji and Motosu on the northern foot, formed by lava damming; pilgrims performed purification rituals on their shores.
Springs and lava formations
忍野八海・人穴富士講遺跡Oshino Hakkai, Hitoana Fuji-kō IsekiThe eight spring ponds of Oshino fed by Fuji's snowmelt, the lava tree moulds of Funatsu and Yoshida, and the Hitoana lava cave, sacred to the Fuji-ko as the place of Hasegawa Kakugyo's austerities.
- 白糸ノ滝Shiraito no Taki
A broad curtain of spring water emerging from the lava layers on the south-western foot, a place of purification for pilgrims.
- 三保松原Miho no Matsubara
A beach of black pines on the Miho Peninsula in Shizuoka City, a classic viewpoint of Fuji across Suruga Bay and the setting of the Noh play Hagoromo.
History
864–866
The Jogan eruption on the north-western flank creates the lava field later covered by the Aokigahara forest and divides an older lake into Sai and Shoji.
12th c.
The ascetic Matsudai Shonin climbs the mountain repeatedly and founds a temple on the summit, beginning organised ascetic ascents.
16th–17th c.
Hasegawa Kakugyo practises austerities at Hitoana; his teachings become the basis of the Fuji-ko movement.
1707
The Hoei eruption on the south-eastern flank, the most recent eruption to date, spreads ash as far as Edo.
c. 1830–1832
Hokusai publishes the Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji.
1872
The ban on women climbing the mountain is lifted.
2013
Inscription on the World Heritage List as a cultural property.
Visiting
- The climbing season on the main trails is in summer, roughly July to early September; outside it the trails are closed and ascents are dangerous. Access rules, climbing fees and booking requirements are set by Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures and published on their official Fuji climbing sites.
- Most of the property can be seen without climbing: the Sengen shrines, the oshi houses in Fujiyoshida, the Fuji Five Lakes, Oshino Hakkai, Shiraito Falls and Miho no Matsubara lie at the foot of the mountain.
- Fujiyoshida and the Fuji Five Lakes are reached by highway bus or train from Tokyo in about two hours; Fujinomiya and the Shizuoka side by Tokaido Shinkansen to Shin-Fuji or Mishima and bus.
- Altitude sickness, cold, lightning and falling rocks are real hazards on the upper mountain; climbers need proper equipment and should descend in bad weather.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Mount Fuji a cultural and not a natural World Heritage Site?
It was nominated for its role in religion and art — pilgrimage, shrines and its image in painting and poetry — rather than for its geology, which is why the property includes shrines, houses and a distant beach.
Who owns the summit of Mount Fuji?
The area above the eighth station belongs to Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha, a status confirmed by Japan's Supreme Court in 1974. The prefectural boundary at the summit has never been fixed.
What is Fuji-ko?
Fuji-ko were confraternities, especially popular in Edo, whose members pooled money to send pilgrims up the mountain and built miniature Fujis for those who could not travel.
Why is Miho no Matsubara part of Fujisan?
The pine beach, about 45 km from the summit, is one of the most celebrated places from which Fuji has been viewed and depicted, and its inclusion recognises the mountain's role in art.
When did Mount Fuji last erupt?
In 1707, during the Hoei eruption. Fuji remains an active volcano monitored by the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Related
Sources
- 1.Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration (opens in a new tab) — UNESCO World Heritage Centre
- 2.日本の世界遺産一覧 (opens in a new tab) — 文化庁
- 3.世界遺産 富士山 (opens in a new tab) — 富士山世界文化遺産協議会（山梨県・静岡県）