Last Updated: May 31, 2023

Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha

A Shrine that Honors Mt. Fuji

F@$#ing typhoons! Right now, I am supposed to be traveling up to northern Japan on a bullet train to spend time in the mountains with a group of ascetics known as Yamabushi. Alas, these travel plans are now completely FUBAR due to the fury of Typhoon Hagibis, a storm that is being heralded as the worst typhoon in over a millennia. Stuck with the prospect of being trapped indoors for the next two days, possibly with no electricity, I’m going to make the most of the situation and cover a topic that I’ve been wanting to write about for some time. This time, we’ll be taking a look at Mt. Fuji but not as a mountain to climb. Instead, we’ll delve into the peak’s ancient past as an object of spiritual worship. Note that this one might get a bit complex so be sure you’re settled and ready to read a heavy piece before proceeding.

To begin, understand that Mt. Fuji has been revered as a sacred mountain for as long as Japanese have lived on the main island of Honshu. Archeological evidence shows that as far back as Japan’s Jomon period (14,000 BCE — 1,000 BCE), people were revering the mountain in what can only be described as a form of proto-Shintoism. The current site was actually home to dual peaks that had emerged from the earth due to the crags sitting atop…