Fujinomiya Sights: Mt. Fuji’s Springs and Faith

What Kind of Town Is Fujinomiya?

Fujinomiya is a city spreading across the southwestern foot of Mt. Fuji in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture. The city has an elevation difference of 3,741 meters, and is known as the municipality with the largest elevation difference in Japan. The northern part of the city is the grassland and mountains of the Asagiri Plateau, while the center is an urban area blessed with spring water from Mt. Fuji, so both the scenery and the climate change greatly within a single city.

At the heart of the city stands Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha. Its prosperity as a town in front of this shrine, along with the shrine’s older name “Fuji no Miya,” gave the city its name. In 2013 Mt. Fuji was registered as a World Cultural Heritage Site, and six places in the city are included among its component assets. In this article we introduce the sights in order of descending latitude, that is, from north to south. Beginning with a lake on the Asagiri Plateau, the route goes through waterfalls, a cherry tree, a worship site and a spring-fed pond, descending from the mountain to the village.

1. Hitoana Fujiko Ruins (人穴富士講遺跡)

Hitoana is a lava cave formed by an eruption of Mt. Fuji. It is said to be the place where the ascetic Kakugyo trained in the 16th and 17th centuries, received the revelation of the Fuji deity, and died. For that reason, it became a sacred place, like a pure land, for the believers of the Fuji-ko confraternities that later spread in Edo and elsewhere. The Azuma Kagami also records that it was regarded as the dwelling place of the Sengen deity.

Because the cave could collapse, it can no longer be entered. Its depth is said to be about 80 to 90 meters to the innermost part, and shrines, stone monuments and stone Buddhas are enshrined inside. In the grounds of a nearby Sengen shrine there are said to be more than 300 gravestones of Fuji-ko believers, and the monument towers number 233. Among those with a recognizable date, many are from the late Edo period when Fuji-ko flourished, and nearly 60 percent of the place names carved on them are from the downtown districts of Edo. Place names from Shizuoka Prefecture total only one.

The number of monuments shows that people from distant Edo went out of their way to make pilgrimages to this cave. It is a site of faith and also a burial ground. Please visit in the spirit of quietly putting your hands together, and do not enter the areas where entry is forbidden.

2. Lake Tanuki (田貫湖)

Lake Tanuki is a lake in a corner of the Asagiri Plateau, at the western foot of Mt. Fuji. Its circumference is about 3.3 kilometers. It was originally a small marsh called Tanuki-numa, but after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 the water around it decreased, and to secure irrigation water embankments were built from around 1935 and it was enlarged into today’s man-made lake.

The terrain of this area is explained as having been formed when a flow of earth and rock from the collapse of Mt. Fuji’s body about 20,000 years ago was blocked by the Tenshi Mountains to the west and piled up. A poorly drained plateau resulted, and marshes and wetlands were born. The lake lies almost directly in front of Mt. Fuji’s Osawa-kuzure, which makes it good for viewing the steep form of the mountain. On clear mornings around April 20 and August 20, the “Diamond Fuji,” when the morning sun overlaps the summit of Mt. Fuji, can be seen, and many people gather for it.

At Tanuki Shrine on the lakeshore, a tradition remains that Prince Yoshinaga, said to be of the Southern Court imperial family, took refuge in the mansion of a local magnate. Whether this is historical fact has not been confirmed, but the quiet scenery around the lake seems to leave room to receive such tales. In spring azaleas bloom, and you can also enjoy cycling around the lake.

3. Shiraito Falls (白糸の滝)

Shiraito Falls is a waterfall about 200 meters wide and about 20 meters high, where countless thin streams spill from a rock face. Its flow is said to be about 1.5 tons per second, and the water comes from rain and snowmelt that fell on Mt. Fuji and traveled underground. A later lava flow lies over an old mudflow layer, and the water seeping from gaps in the layers looks like hanging silk threads, which gave the falls their name.

The falls were designated a national Place of Scenic Beauty and Natural Monument in 1936, and selected as one of Japan’s 100 Best Waterfalls in 1990. In 2013 they were registered as a World Cultural Heritage Site as one of the component assets of “Mt. Fuji.” In the Edo period they were also a place that Fuji-ko believers visited on pilgrimage. Near the basin remains a memorial monument to the Fuji-ko ascetic Jikigyo Miroku.

They are also loved as an artistic motif, and it is said that the Edo-period painter Ike no Taiga spread this subject by painting Shiraito Falls together with Mt. Fuji. In a rock cave just above the falls wells “Obin-sui,” where Minamoto no Yoritomo is said to have fixed his disheveled hair. Access around the basin has at times been restricted because of typhoons and earthquakes, so please view the falls from the safe walkway.

4. Otodome Falls (音止の滝)

Otodome Falls is where the main stream of the Shiba River drops about 25 meters. In contrast to the delicate Shiraito Falls, its powerful, vigorous form is its feature; it is designated a national Place of Scenic Beauty and Natural Monument and is counted among Japan’s 100 Best Waterfalls. It is only a few minutes’ walk from Shiraito Falls.

An anecdote from the Kamakura period is told about the origin of the name. In 1193, at the Fuji hunt held by Minamoto no Yoritomo, the brothers Soga Sukenari and Tokimune were plotting to kill Kudo Suketsune, the enemy of their father. But the roar of the falls made their talk inaudible, and when they prayed to the gods, the sound is said to have stopped at once. The brothers are said to have achieved their aim safely. On the east side of the falls is the “Soga Hiding Rock,” where the brothers are said to have hidden.

This is a legend, and there is no historical record showing what actually happened. Still, when one imagines the brothers lowering their voices amid the roar, one feels one understands why this waterfall has been handed down as a stage linking human resolve with the quiet of the world. The revenge tale later spread widely as a subject of kabuki, Noh and joruri.

5. Karijuku no Gebaizakura (狩宿の下馬桜)

The Karijuku no Gebaizakura is a single cherry tree in Karijuku, Fujinomiya, formally called Akame-shiroba-yamazakura. Said to be more than 800 years old, it is one of the oldest mountain cherry trees in Japan; it was designated a National Natural Monument in 1922 and upgraded to a Special Natural Monument in 1952. It is counted among the five great cherry trees of Japan.

The name comes from a tradition that when Minamoto no Yoritomo held the Fuji hunt in 1193, he stopped here and dismounted, or tied his horse. From the story of tethering a horse to the cherry tree, it has also been called the “horse-halting cherry.” Its blossoms are said to open around mid-April, and the view of Mt. Fuji through the cherry blossoms was chosen among the Ministry of the Environment’s “100 Landscapes with Mt. Fuji.”

In an old survey by the Ministry of Education, the trunk was recorded as more than eight meters around, with broad spreading branches. Since then, repeated typhoons have weakened the tree. An old tree is like time’s weight made visible. When you visit, please look quietly from outside the fence so as not to pack down the soil at its roots.

6. Yamamiya Sengen Shrine (山宮浅間神社)

Yamamiya Sengen Shrine is regarded as the “original shrine” of Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha. According to the shrine’s tradition, in 806 Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, on the order of Emperor Heizei, moved the deity from this place to the present site of the Sengen Taisha, and it is said to be where the deity was first enshrined before the Taisha existed. In an earlier tradition, Yamato Takeru, in a tight spot during his eastern campaign, prayed to the deity of Fuji and escaped danger, and so is said to have established a ritual place here.

The shrine’s greatest feature is that it has no building corresponding to a main hall. There is a worship site where lava stones are laid out in a rectangle, with the altar placed facing Mt. Fuji. It is thought to preserve a primitive form of faith in which one worships directly the mountain where the deity dwells. In the 2008 excavation, pottery from around the 12th century was found, and it is thought to have been used in rituals.

There used to be a rite called the “Yamamiya Goshinko,” a procession between the Sengen Taisha and Yamamiya, meaning to return the deity to its old seat; it is said to have been carried out until 1873. In 2013 it became a component asset of the World Heritage Site. It is a living shrine, so please try to worship quietly.

7. Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha and Wakutama Pond (富士山本宮浅間大社と湧玉池)

Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha is the head shrine of the many Sengen shrines throughout Japan, and the Ichinomiya (first shrine) of Suruga Province, enshrining Mt. Fuji as the sacred mountain body. Its deity is Konohanasakuyahime no Mikoto, said to be a deity associated with cherry blossoms, and about 500 cherry trees have been dedicated in the grounds. The main shrine is in the town of Fujinomiya, while the inner shrine at the summit is on the top of Mt. Fuji, and a vast area above the eighth station is shrine land. The main hall was built by Tokugawa Ieyasu in a distinctive style called Sengen-zukuri, and is an Important Cultural Property of Japan.

Wakutama Pond in the grounds is a pond where underground flow from Mt. Fuji’s snowmelt wells up, designated a national Special Natural Monument in 1952. Its volume is said to be about 300,000 tons a day, and its water temperature stays stable at around 13 degrees all year. The water is also the source of the Kanda River. In the old days, pilgrims before climbing Mt. Fuji used the pond as a place of purification, a misogi site.

The scene of Fuji-ko believers performing ablutions in the pond’s water is also depicted in old illustrated maps. This shrine, which gave the city its name, was also the starting point for those who climbed Mt. Fuji. It is a living shrine, so please observe proper worship manners and walk with care so as not to harm the pond’s water or the plants.

Local Specialties, Food and Drink

For the taste of Fujinomiya, first comes Fujinomiya yakisoba. It is said to be characterized by using special steamed noodles, stir-frying them with “niku-kasu” (pork fat residue) and cabbage, and finishing with powdered dried sardine or mackerel. After the war the number of shops serving yakisoba grew, and it was named locally in 1999 and became known through town-revitalization activities. It has a record of taking first place in the first two rounds of a national local-gourmet competition.

Another specialty is rainbow trout. The city, blessed with spring water from Mt. Fuji, is said to be first in Japan in rainbow trout production, and the fish has been designated the “city fish.” On the Asagiri Plateau, dairy farming that makes use of the cool climate and volcanic ash soil flourishes, and branding of milk and dairy products is also advancing.

Among home cooking, boiled peanuts, grown in Mt. Fuji’s volcanic ash soil, and “rakkasei namasu,” a dish of ground peanuts mixed with namasu, are known. There are also sake breweries in the city that use the spring water for brewing, and the abundance of water seems to be the foundation of the food.

Rare Creatures and Nature

The stars of Fujinomiya’s nature are Mt. Fuji and the water that wells from it. About half of the city’s area is included in Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, and places where groundwater appears on the surface, such as Wakutama Pond and Shiraito Falls, are scattered about. The water of Wakutama Pond hardly rises or falls through the year, and its temperature is also stable.

The Asagiri Plateau in the north spreads at an elevation of 700 to 1,000 meters, and the name is said to come from how easily mist forms. Its stands of miscanthus are designated a “Forest of Hometown Cultural Properties.” Also, Odanuki Marsh near Lake Tanuki is said to be the only remaining marsh on the western foot of Mt. Fuji, and has been selected as an Important Wetland by the Ministry of the Environment.

On Mt. Fuji there is a large collapsed area called Osawa-kuzure, and because of the danger of sediment disasters the national government continues erosion-control work. Behind the beautiful mountain is the work of people who face erosion and disaster.

Other Notable Things About This Town

Fujinomiya was also the stage of the Fuji hunt held by Minamoto no Yoritomo in 1193. It is told that the Soga brothers’ revenge took place during this hunt, and the story was widely told in kabuki, Noh, joruri and other forms. It shows that the vast grassland at the foot of Mt. Fuji has long been imagined as the backdrop of this tale.

The city also has a history in which Suruga hanshi, a kind of washi paper, came to be made after people of the Shiraito district found a stand of mitsumata. It is a story of how the water of Mt. Fuji became the foundation of a land where papermaking flourished.

The Fujinomiya route, one of the Mt. Fuji climbing trails, is also in this city. As the southern gateway to Mt. Fuji, the pilgrimage routes of Omiya and Murayama have passed here since ancient times. Of the “100 Landscapes with Mt. Fuji” chosen by the Ministry of the Environment, 17 are in the city, said to be the most on the Shizuoka side.

The Night Side: Ghost Stories and Haunted Places of This Town

So far we have walked the daytime face of Fujinomiya: a lake, a sacred cave, waterfalls, a cherry tree, a worship site and a spring-fed shrine. At every place the prayers and lives of people who feared, revered and relied on Mt. Fuji are layered.

That depth connects to the night side as well. On this site we deal with the story of Otodome Falls and the Soga brothers, and with records of Hitoana. In our view, a ghost story is something like a shadow that a land’s history and terrain cast on people’s hearts. The huge mountain and the darkness of the water flowing beneath it may hold a power that makes people want to entrust stories to them.

On KARASU CHANNEL, we set out true ghost stories and haunted places not to visit them but to record them. Having learned the daytime scenery, please read the stories of the night as well.

Before You Go

Opening hours, fees, closing days and access change easily, so they are not listed in this article. Before you go, please check the latest information on the official website of each facility or local government. Some places may be restricted from entry because of weather or disasters.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. In what order is it efficient to tour Fujinomiya’s sights?

A. This article introduces them from north to south. It is easier to group them by area: the lake and waterfalls toward the Asagiri Plateau, and the Sengen Taisha and Wakutama Pond in the urban area. Because the northern part involves long distances, please check transportation and seasonal road conditions with official tourist information.

Q. What are Fujinomiya’s specialties?

A. Fujinomiya yakisoba, rainbow trout and dairy products from the Asagiri Plateau are well known. Boiled peanuts are a home-cooked favorite. What each shop serves changes, so please check the latest information before you go.

Q. Can I go inside the Hitoana cave?

A. The cave could collapse, so it cannot be entered at present. Entry to the area of the monument towers is also restricted. Please view it quietly from outside as a historic site, and follow the instructions given.

Sources consulted
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/富士宮市
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/富士山本宮浅間大社
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/湧玉池
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/山宮浅間神社
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/白糸の滝_(静岡県)
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/音止の滝
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/狩宿の下馬桜
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/田貫湖
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/人穴富士講遺跡
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/朝霧高原
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/富士宮やきそば