▪️About Mt. Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan
Sacred mountains fuji is thought to have been formed about 100,000 years ago. Fuji is still a young and vigorous volcano compared to most volcanoes in Japan, which have a history of hundreds of thousands to a million years.
Fuji is a representative volcano of Japan in terms of both size and beauty of form.
Fuji has been erupting vigorously since the beginning of time. Fuji has been erupting actively since the beginning of time. We can learn about this fact from the deposits of volcanic ash and lava flows left at the foot of the mountain, as well as from documents and drawings left by people in ancient times.
Fuji has erupted at least 10 times since the 8th century. Among them, the Jogan eruption (864) in the Heian period (794-1192) and the Hoei eruption (1707) in the Edo period (1603-1868) were large in scale and are well documented.
▪️World Heritage Recognition
Unesco world heritage sites registered are divided into "Cultural Heritage," "Natural Heritage," and "Composite Heritage," and Mount Fuji was registered as a "Cultural Heritage" site on June 22, 2013. Fuji was registered as a "Cultural Heritage" on June 22, 2013. Fuji has a history of greatly influencing the Japanese people's attitude toward nature and Japanese culture, and from this perspective, it was registered as a cultural heritage. Fuji - Object of Faith and Source of Art" is the official name of the registration.
Fuji, which erupts in flames, was an object of fear for the people living at its foot. People prayed and hoped that the anger of the Fuji gods would be appeased. After the eruption subsided, the highest mountain in the archipelago became a place of ascetic practice for ascetic practitioners who ventured into the mountains.
Fuji became a place of ascetic practice for ascetic practitioners, and as a mountain where gods and Buddha resided, many people began to climb the mountain to worship them.
▪️ Fuji and the Arts
The majestic beauty of Mt. Fuji has had a great influence on artists not only in Japan but all over the world. Fuji has been featured in the oldest anthology of poetry, Manyoshu, as well as in Taketori Monogatari (tale of the bamboo cutter) and Ise Monogatari (The Tale of Ise), and in the Edo period (1603-1868), it was depicted in various forms by the ukiyoe artists Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige. These paintings were introduced overseas and are said to have greatly influenced Western artists such as Van Gogh and Monet. In modern times, Mt. Fuji has been the subject of literary works by Soseki Natsume and Osamu Dazai, and has fascinated and inspired many artists throughout the ages.
Fuji and the art that has been inspired by Mt. Fuji World Heritage Site is comprised of 25 properties, including lakes and shinto shrines located at the base of mount fuji.
▪️Belief in Mt.Fuji
Since ancient times, Japan has had a mountain worship tradition in which mountains are worshipped as sacred. Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan, is a typical example.
Fuji is said to have originated when the mountain was repeatedly erupting, and people began to worship the image of an angry god in the fire that erupted violently. After the eruptions subsided, the summit of Mt. Fuji was thought to be a place where Buddha appeared in the form of a deity, and people began to enter the mountain and practice asceticism to reach the summit in order to gain the power of experience and spirituality that Mt. In the latter half of the Muromachi period (1336-1573), not only ascetic ascetics but also ordinary people began to climb the mountain, and the practice of tohai (ascending to the top of Mt. Fuji to receive blessings from the gods and Buddha) gradually became popular.
In the Warring States Period, the Fuji faith was summarized as a simple teaching of "worshiping Mt. Fuji, taking refuge in the spirit of Mt. Fuji, chanting one's heart's desire, and being grateful for the blessings," and spread as the faith of the common people. Fuji. During the Edo period (1603-1868), so many common people in Edo (Tokyo) formed a group called "Edo Yahakuhachi Ko," which means "eight hundred and eighty-eight Ko" in Japanese. Fuji Ko not only climbed Mt. Fuji in climbing season, but also made pilgrimages to sacred places at the foot of the mountain and performed ascetic practices such as water asceticism. The pilgrimages included the "Ohachiyou Meguri," which circles the summit of the mountain, the "Ochudo Meguri," which circles the middle of the mountain, and the "Uchihachiumi Meguri," which visits lakes scattered around the foot of the mountain.
*The Ochudo Tour is currently inaccessible due to dangerous areas, so it is not possible to go around the entire route.
Mt. Fuji straddles Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures is Japan's most iconic mountain, and is a well-known good-luck symbol in Japan, but do you know why it is said to be "auspicious"?
Here are some elements related to Mount Fuji's auspiciousness:
1. Fukufuji:
Fukufuji refers to specific locations on Mount Fuji that are believed to bring luck and prosperity. Viewing Mount Fuji from these locations is thought to invite good fortune.
2. Fuji Faith:
In the historical religion of Fuji Faith, Mount Fuji is considered a sacred entity and an object of worship. Climbing the mountain or making pilgrimages to it have been religious acts.
3. Depictions of Mount Fuji:
Mount Fuji frequently appears in Japanese art, literature, and poetry, serving as a motif symbolizing happiness and beauty.
4. New Year's Sunrise:
The first sunrise of the year with Mount Fuji as the backdrop is especially considered especially auspicious, and many people visit on New Year's Day to witness it .
Mount Fuji is a symbol of Japan's natural beauty and good fortune. It is a perfect celebration or gift for a new beginning or milestone of a loved one.
