When people think of Japan, Mt. Fuji is one of the first images that comes to mind.
Today, people visit the mountain for sightseeing, drive up to the Fifth Station, or climb to the summit during the summer season. A few hundred years ago, however, people saw Mt. Fuji rather differently.
It was an awe-inspiring volcano and a sacred mountain. Over time, people began to do more than worship it from afar. They climbed it, and the act of climbing itself became an expression of faith.
One tradition that brought this belief to ordinary people was Fuji-ko, a form of religious association centered on the worship of Mt. Fuji.
Some people climbed the real mountain. Others climbed small versions of Fuji built in their own communities. Those who could not make the journey could also enjoy and imagine the mountain through ukiyo-e prints and illustrated books.
Through the story of Fuji-ko, let’s look at the long relationship between Mt. Fuji and the people of Japan.
- Mt. Fuji Was Not Always a Mountain People Climbed
- In the Edo Period, Mt. Fuji Became a Destination for Ordinary People
- What Was Fuji-ko?
- Pooling Money to Send Members to Mt. Fuji
- Climbing Mt. Fuji Was a Major Journey
- Was Fuji-ko Found Only in Edo?
- What If You Couldn’t Travel to Mt. Fuji?
- Why Is Mt. Fuji a Cultural World Heritage Site Rather Than a Natural One?
- Conclusion: Fuji Worship Is Still Visible Today
Mt. Fuji Was Not Always a Mountain People Climbed
Mt. Fuji is still an active volcano.
Its volcanic activity was much more frequent in ancient times, particularly between the 8th and 11th centuries, when repeated eruptions were recorded in historical documents.
Its most recent eruption was the Hoei Eruption of 1707, during the Edo period. Volcanic ash fell as far away as Edo, present-day Tokyo, roughly 100 kilometers from the mountain. No eruption has been recorded since then.
Before modern volcano monitoring existed, the sight of smoke rising from this enormous mountain, the ground shaking, and ash falling from the sky must have inspired considerable fear and awe.
People in ancient Japan regarded Mt. Fuji as sacred and prayed for its eruptions to subside. The many Sengen and Asama shrines found around Yamanashi and Shizuoka are closely connected to this long tradition of mountain worship.
As volcanic activity became calmer, people gradually began to enter the mountain itself.
During the medieval period, religious practitioners trained on Mt. Fuji. Later, ordinary people also began making their way toward the summit.
Fuji gradually changed from a mountain worshipped from afar into a mountain people climbed as an act of faith.
In the Edo Period, Mt. Fuji Became a Destination for Ordinary People
Fuji-ko developed rapidly during the Edo period.
The Edo period lasted from 1603 to 1868. After centuries of warfare, Japan entered a long period of relative stability in which cities, commerce, highways, and post towns developed. Religious pilgrimages also gave ordinary people more opportunities to travel far from home.
Faith and travel often went together.
Large numbers of people made pilgrimages to places such as Ise Jingu, and Mt. Fuji became another important sacred destination.
What Was Fuji-ko?
The origins of Fuji-ko are closely associated with a religious practitioner named Hasegawa Kakugyo, who lived during the 16th and 17th centuries.
Kakugyo practiced ascetic training at places around Mt. Fuji, including a lava cave known as Hitoana. He regarded the mountain as a sacred place connected to the source of life and the world itself.
His beliefs were passed down through his followers.
About a century later, another important figure, Jikigyo Miroku, brought Fuji worship closer to the everyday lives of ordinary people.
Kakugyo established Mt. Fuji as a sacred place connected to the origins of life and the world. Miroku then brought that faith into the daily lives of ordinary people.
As a result, worshipping and climbing Mt. Fuji gradually gained meaning for people outside the world of religious ascetics.
In 1733, Miroku died while fasting on Mt. Fuji. His teachings and death attracted considerable attention, and Fuji-ko groups rapidly increased, particularly in Edo.
Pooling Money to Send Members to Mt. Fuji
The word ko refers to an association of people united by a shared belief or purpose.
A journey to Mt. Fuji required both money and many days away from home. Members of a local community or people working in the same trade could therefore form a Fuji-ko and regularly contribute money to a shared fund.
During the summer climbing season, the group might choose representatives by rotation or even by lottery and use the pooled money to send them to Mt. Fuji.
Those representatives were climbing on behalf of the wider group as well as themselves. They prayed for members who had remained at home and brought back amulets and sacred talismans.
A journey that would have been difficult for one person could be supported by an entire community.
Climbing Mt. Fuji Was a Major Journey
Walking from Nihonbashi in Edo to Mt. Fuji took roughly three to four days each way.
Pilgrims were often guided by experienced leaders known as sendatsu. At the foot of the mountain, religious guides called oshi provided accommodation and meals, conducted prayers, and helped pilgrims prepare for the climb.
Pilgrims purified themselves, dressed in white, took a walking staff, and entered the mountain.
Mt. Fuji has four main climbing routes today. In the past, there were also several pilgrimage routes that differed from the routes used today.
The journey had its enjoyable side as well.
Pilgrims admired the scenery, drank sake, and met other travelers along the way. A pilgrimage to Mt. Fuji was an act of faith, as well as a rare opportunity to leave everyday life behind and travel far from home.
Was Fuji-ko Found Only in Edo?
Fuji-ko became especially popular in Edo and the surrounding Kanto region.
Its popularity was summed up in the expression “Edo Happyaku Yakko,” or “808 Fuji-ko groups of Edo.” The number was not intended literally. It was a way of saying that Fuji-ko groups seemed to be everywhere.
People traveling to worship Mt. Fuji also came from other parts of Japan.
Pilgrims traveled from the Tokai and Kinki regions, and historical materials related to Fuji-ko still survive in Mie Prefecture. Jikigyo Miroku himself was born in an area that is now part of Tsu City in Mie.
Edo and the Kanto region were the center of the Fuji-ko boom, while pilgrimage and worship connected to Mt. Fuji extended across a much wider area.
What If You Couldn’t Travel to Mt. Fuji?
Even with the support of a Fuji-ko, reaching Mt. Fuji was not possible for everyone.
The journey required time away from work and family, physical strength, and money. Women also faced restrictions on climbing parts of the mountain during this period.
People still wanted a connection with Fuji.
One solution was to build a small “Mt. Fuji” closer to home. People could also experience the mountain through ukiyo-e prints and illustrated books.
A “Mini Mt. Fuji” in the Middle of Town: Fuji-zuka
Walk through some shrines in Tokyo today and you may come across a small mound covered in dark volcanic rocks.
This is a Fuji-zuka.
Fuji-zuka were constructed from earth and stone in the shape of Mt. Fuji. Some even incorporated lava brought from the real mountain. Paths, stone markers representing climbing stations, and a summit were sometimes included.
These mounds were regarded as symbolic replicas carrying the sacred power of Mt. Fuji.
People who could not travel to the real mountain could climb a local Fuji-zuka and experience a form of Fuji pilgrimage closer to home. Women who faced restrictions on the real mountain could also climb Fuji-zuka.
From the late 18th century onward, Fuji-zuka spread across Edo and surrounding areas. Around 60 are believed to have been constructed within the area that corresponds roughly to present-day Tokyo.
Some still survive in shrine grounds today.
A mound only a few meters high may look curious when surrounded by modern buildings and houses. Once you know its history, it becomes a reminder of just how close Mt. Fuji was to the spiritual lives of ordinary people.
Enjoying Mt. Fuji Through Pictures
Publishing culture also flourished during the Edo period.
Books introducing famous places, travel guides, and illustrated publications became widely available, while ukiyo-e developed into a popular visual culture enjoyed by ordinary people.
By the late Edo period, landscape prints known as meisho-e, or “pictures of famous places,” had become especially popular.
Travel was increasingly common, but few people could repeatedly visit distant destinations. Prints allowed people to imagine places they had never seen and to remember journeys they had taken in the past.
Mt. Fuji naturally became a favorite subject.
Katsushika Hokusai’s Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji is one famous example, while Utagawa Hiroshige and many other artists also depicted the mountain from different locations and perspectives.
Hokusai’s series even includes a print called “Groups of Mountain Climbers,” showing people with walking staffs making their way across the rugged upper slopes of Mt. Fuji.
A person did not have to stand on the mountain to know what it looked like or to imagine the experience of climbing it.
Why Is Mt. Fuji a Cultural World Heritage Site Rather Than a Natural One?
Mt. Fuji was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2013 as a cultural property.
Its official World Heritage name is “Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration.”
The designation reflects a long history of people worshipping and climbing Mt. Fuji, together with the mountain’s influence on literature, painting, ukiyo-e, and other forms of art.
Pilgrimage traditions such as Fuji-ko reflect Fuji as a sacred place.
The countless artistic representations of the mountain reflect its role as a source of inspiration.
Understanding these two sides of Mt. Fuji also helps explain why UNESCO recognizes it as a cultural heritage site rather than simply as an impressive natural landscape.
Conclusion: Fuji Worship Is Still Visible Today
Several centuries have passed since the height of the Fuji-ko movement, but traces of the tradition remain.
Fuji-zuka still survive across the Kanto region, and stone monuments connected to Fuji-ko can be found at shrines. Some Fuji-ko groups remain active today. Around Mt. Fuji itself, festivals and ceremonies continue to express the relationship between the mountain and local communities.
Over the centuries, people have connected with Fuji in many different ways. Some climbed it, some prayed toward it from afar, some built Fuji-zuka in their towns, and others enjoyed its image through ukiyo-e.
Knowing about Fuji-ko and Fuji-zuka may change the way you see the mountain.
For hundreds of years, people have looked up at Mt. Fuji, prayed to it, walked toward it, climbed it, painted it, and even recreated small versions of it in their own communities.
That long relationship is part of the reason Mt. Fuji became such a powerful symbol of Japan.
Related Articles | Yoshida Fire Festival
The connection between Mt. Fuji and the people living around it can still be seen in local festivals today.
Held every August at the northern foot of Mt. Fuji, the Yoshida Fire Festival marks the end of the summer climbing season. Huge torches illuminate the streets, offering a striking glimpse into the continuing relationship between the mountain, faith, and the local community.
→ A Street of Fire at the Foot of Mt. Fuji【A Guide to the Yoshida Fire Festival】
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