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Towering waves with boats at their mercy.
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Katsushika Hokusai’s “The Great Wave off Kanagawa.”
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Behind the waves is the familiar image of Mt. Fuji.
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At 3,776 meters in height, Fuji is Japan’s tallest mountain.
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Its refined grace and its seasonal beauty have charmed people since ancient times.
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Mt. Fuji is also famous for its great spiritual power.
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Worshipped as a presence beyond human understanding,
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it has long been an emotional support for many Japanese people.
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You couldn’t make a Mt. Fuji if you tried.
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To see it is to be filled with awe.
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Its beauty has inspired artists across the ages.
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Some of this art even crossed the ocean to influence European artists.
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In 2013, Mt. Fuji became a World Heritage Site,
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recognized as a “sacred place and source of artistic inspiration.”
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The site extends far beyond the mountain itself.
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UNESCO registered 25 further locations,
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such as the surrounding natural landscape and various shrines, as part of our global heritage.
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Mt. Fuji is the spiritual heart of Japan.
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Join us on a deeper exploration of this mountain.
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Mt. Fuji over a serene lake.
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This view is emblematic of the mountain’s beauty.
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Many people flock to the shore to admire this view.
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Mt. Fuji’s World Heritage Site includes five nearby lakes.
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Each offers a different, yet equally stunning perspective of the mountain.
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Known as the “Fuji Five Lakes,” they were formed by the mountain itself.
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The large depression at the summit is a crater.
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Mt. Fuji is an active volcano that erupted repeatedly until about 300 years ago.
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Its volcanic activity began around 100,000 years ago.
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Repeated eruptions transformed the local terrain.
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The Jogan eruption of the 9th century was particularly fierce.
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Written records of it still remain.
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The lava flowed all the way down to the lake, only then coming to a halt.
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The waters boiled, killing the fish in an instant.
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Homes were swallowed by lava, and people fled, leaving everything behind them.
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The lava flow from repeated eruptions eventually divided one enormous lake,
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creating the Fuji Five Lakes.
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There are other water-filled attractions in this region.
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The water of these falls comes from the large volume of snow and rain that falls on Mt. Fuji,
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which is then filtered down through the volcanic rocks.
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The clear waters of this pool were filtered underground for decades before rising to the surface.
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Yet another blessing from Mt. Fuji.
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The fiery volcano Mt. Fuji was long a source of awe and terror for local residents.
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They built countless shrines around the peak, praying that its flames might be calmed.
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One of the earliest such shrines is Yamamiya Sengen-jinja, which is around 1,900 years old.
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Although it’s a shrine, there is no pavilion or main hall.
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Instead, there is a “yohaijo,” a place to worship from afar.
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It stands on the remnants of an ancient lava flow.
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People came to pay their respects to the mountain itself.
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This eventually evolved into the worship of Mt. Fuji.
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Mt. Fuji held awesome power, and over time, people came to seek that strength.
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Those people were samurai.
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From the 12th century, samurai ruled Japan,
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and wars broke out over the centuries that followed.
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In the hopes of securing victory, samurai donated to shrines dedicated to Mt. Fuji, and participated in rites.
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The man who put an end to the wars and laid the foundations for 250 years of peace was Tokugawa Ieyasu.
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As a child, he lived near Mt. Fuji where worship of the mountain ran deep, and was a faithful believer himself.
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Fujisan Hongu Sengentaisha Shrine is a World Heritage Site.
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Dedicated to Mt. Fuji, it’s also home to buildings Ieyasu erected for the shrine after winning victories on the battlefield.
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He donated over 30 such buildings in a display of his deep faith.
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The civil wars were a brutal time. Lives were always on the line.
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I suspect many clung to their faith in Mt. Fuji as a result.
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Faith in the power of nature ran very deep in people at the time.
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There are 1,300 Sengen shrines around Japan dedicated to the worship of Mt. Fuji.
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Faith in the mountain is still alive and well today.
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You couldn’t make a Mt. Fuji if you tried. It is unknowable.
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To see it is to be filled with awe.
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“Mt. Fuji’s climbing season opens today. Climbers first visit a shrine.”
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Many people dream of climbing Mt. Fuji at least once.
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Each year, during two brief summer months, more than 200,000 people come to climb the famous mountain.
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Many climbers make a wish as they watch the sun rise from the highest point in Japan.
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It only became possible for large groups to climb Mt. Fuji when its eruptions began to calm 300 years ago.
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Before that, people saw the summit as a paradise.
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During the Edo period, only men were permitted to climb.
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They established groups known as “Fujiko” and carried flags on their trips to paradise.
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The de facto capital of Edo was home to nearly a thousand such “Fujiko” groups.
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One location that climbers would visit before their attempt is still welcoming visitors today.
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This cave was formed by the lava from an eruption around 1000 CE.
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A cave behind a shrine building.
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Lava from an eruption swallowed a large tree before cooling.
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The tree burned away, leaving a hollow which formed the cave.
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Centuries ago, people viewed this place as a womb.
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They believed it was a place of rebirth.
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Entering it helped wash away the sins of their present life before their climb to the summit.
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Mt. Fuji’s emblematic beauty has made it a source of inspiration for many artists.
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Its snowy cap melts in high summer.
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Sunlight on Mt. Fuji’s bare slopes glows red.
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Edo-period ukiyoe artist Katsushika Hokusai depicted this aspect of Mt. Fuji.
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Known as “Red Fuji,” this beloved image has a distinctive composition,
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with a mackerel sky that showcases the mountain’s hue.
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This is Hokusai’s best-known work: “The Great Wave off Kanagawa.”
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The perspective draws the viewer to look up at the raging waves,
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and the still, magnetic presence of Mt. Fuji in the distance.
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Ukiyoe artist Utagawa Hiroshige was also captivated by Mt. Fuji.
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This is the location shown in “Hara” from Utagawa’s Tokaido Road series.
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Travelers on the road and marshland, with Mt. Fuji soaring in the background.
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It’s a vibrant scene of everyday life with this famous peak.
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It’s such a beautiful mountain that artists wanted it in their works.
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It’s a hugely inspiring view.
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Its form is so simple. So how best to showcase it?
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That became a key question for artists.
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Many of these ukiyoe prints influenced artists in Europe.
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They sparked the japonisme trend which swept the continent in the late 1800s.
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The famous Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh was also moved by this trend.
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His interest can be seen in this painting: “Portrait of Père Tanguy.”
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The background includes an ukiyoe print of Mt. Fuji, an expression of van Gogh’s fascination with Japan.
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When people hear ‘Japan,’ they think of Mt. Fuji.
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It’s a symbol of Japan and Japanese culture. A truly iconic mountain.
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The sacred peak of Mt. Fuji.
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A focus of faith and art, and the emotional heart of Japan.
AloJapan.com