Fuji San is frequently, but mistakenly, spoken of as the most sacred mountain in Japan.

While there is no such thing as a most sacred mountain in Japan, Fuji has become famous as a national symbol because it is the highest peak in the country (12,388 feet), it is one of the most symmetrical volcano cones in the world, and it is visible from the city of Tokyo, only 60 miles away. Younger than many Japanese mountains, Fuji began to rise only 25,000 years ago and had probably assumed its general form by 8000 BC. Occasionally smoking since its last major eruption in 1707, the mountain has an ancient body of myths regarding its divine origins, resident deities, and spiritual powers. The beautiful peak has been venerated as the home of a fire god, later the dwelling of a Shinto goddess of flowing trees, and since Buddhist times, as the abode of Dainichi Nyorai, the Buddha of All-Illuminating Wisdom. While scholars debate the origin of the mountain's name, one of the most commonly used means ‘Everlasting Life.’ According to early myths the mountain was first climbed by the wizard-sage En no Gyoja around 700 AD, but it is more likely that the first ascents began in the 12th or 13th centuries. Today, more than 400,000 people climb the mountain annually. The mountain is called Fuji San, the ‘san’ being an indication of deep respect.

Photo: Fuji San with Tokyo

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Written by  Martin Gray.

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