Thoughts on Mount Fuji (2)
Exploring the Cultural Significance and World Heritage Story of Japan’s Sacred Mountain
This time, I would like to consider Mount Fuji from a cultural perspective.
Mount Fuji.
The moment you hear the name, everyone pictures its perfect conical shape.
However, the reason this mountain has captured the hearts of people all over the world isn’t just its beautiful form.
It’s because, from ancient times to the present day, it has been a source of stories, beliefs, and art deeply etched into the Japanese soul.
On June 22, 2013, Mount Fuji was inscribed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.
Its official name, “Fujisan, Sacred Place and Source of Artistic Inspiration,” eloquently tells the story of how this mountain was recognized globally not merely as a natural formation, but as a symbol of culture and spirit.
Table of Contents
A Quintessential Japanese Landscape Recognized by the World: Mount Fuji as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
The most important reason for Mount Fuji’s inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage site is the international recognition of its cultural value, fostered through the relationship between humans and nature – specifically, “faith” and “art.”
The fact that it was evaluated as a cultural heritage site, not a natural one, highlights the mountain’s unique character.
This evaluation was based on two criteria.
One is Evaluation Criterion:
“bearing a unique testimony to a cultural tradition related to mountains, known as the ‘Fujisan faith’.”
This refers to the tradition of fearing erupting volcanoes, emphasizing coexistence, and appreciating the spring water at its base, which has been passed down to the spirit of modern-day climbers and pilgrims.
The other is Evaluation Criterion:
“having a direct and tangible association with works of art of outstanding universal significance.”
Its influence on numerous literary works and paintings as a symbol of Japan was highly praised.
The inscription of Mount Fuji as a UNESCO World Heritage site was groundbreaking because it didn’t simply protect a beautiful natural landscape.
Instead, it evaluated the “intangible” values created by people’s spirituality and cultural activities, such as “faith” and “art.”
This signifies that Japan’s unique view of nature – where humans and nature don’t merely oppose each other but influence and coexist – was recognized by the world.
This evaluation defines the history and culture of this dynamic “coexistence” between people and nature as a “universal value” to be passed down to the future, rather than treating the mountain as a static “landscape.”
It presents a deeper perspective that sees nature not as a backdrop for human activity, but as a subject of culture.
The 25 component assets that demonstrate Mount Fuji’s value are divided into faith-related facilities like the “Sanctuary complex at the summit” and “Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha Shrine,” natural landscapes like the “Fuji Five Lakes” and “Aokigahara Jukai,” and artistic landscapes like “Miho no Matsubara.”
These assets specifically illustrate why Mount Fuji was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Major Assets Constituting the Mount Fuji UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site
| Asset Name | Asset Type | Connection to “Faith” and “Art” |
| Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha Shrine | Shrine | Faith: The head shrine of the Sengen faith, protected by Tokugawa Ieyasu. Art: Thought to be depicted in Katsushika Hokusai’s ukiyo-e print, Sunshu Katakura Chaen no Fuji. |
| Sanctuary complex at the summit | Ruins | Faith: Religious facilities like shrines are distributed along the crater rim. The modern O-hachi-meguri is a continuation of this religious practice. |
| Fuji Five Lakes | Lakes | Faith: One of the “Eight Lakes of Fuji,” a pilgrimage site for the Fuji-ko. Art: Depicted in many works of art, its landscape was highly praised. |
| Aokigahara Jukai | Virgin Forest | Faith: The lava caves (such as Funatsu Tainai Ketsugyo) became places of worship. Art: A setting for literary works, its mystique became a source of creativity. |
| Miho no Matsubara | Scenic Spot | Art: The setting of the legend of the celestial maiden’s robe (Hagoromo), and depicted in many works of art, including ukiyo-e. |
From a Mountain of Awe to a Mountain of Affection: The Evolution of Japanese Faith
Prayers to Appease Eruptions: Ancient Awe
Ancient Japanese people feared Mount Fuji as a “mountain where gods reside,” and to appease its wild spirit, they built the Sengen Shrine at its base.
Records show that the Imperial Court took Mount Fuji’s eruptions seriously, raising its divine rank rapidly, which illustrates how much people at the time feared the mountain.
During this period, the faith centered on yohai (worshipping from afar).
From Remote Worship to Ascetic Climbing: The Rise of Shugendō and Fuji-kō
In the late Heian period, as volcanic activity subsided, Mount Fuji became a training ground for Shugendō, a syncretic religion that combined indigenous Japanese mountain worship with Esoteric Buddhism.
A monk named Matsudai-shōnin built a temple called Dainichi-ji at the summit, and tohai (climbing the mountain for ascetic practice) began in earnest.
In the late Muromachi period, commoners began to climb alongside the shugenja (ascetics), and the faith spread further.
In the mid-Edo period, the Fuji-kō movement, founded by Hasegawa Kakugyō, became immensely popular, particularly in the Kantō region.
The teaching of “worshipping Fuji, chanting wishes, and giving thanks” spread among common people, and many took on the challenge of climbing Mount Fuji as a place of spiritual training and purification.
The Oshi-jūtaku (pilgrims’ lodging), which served as a base for Fuji-kō believers, still conveys the prosperity of this faith today.
The Fuji faith was not a single, static form of worship.
It changed over time, from ancient “awe and prayers of appeasement,” to medieval “a place of training and self-transcendence,” to early modern “commoners’ pilgrimages and community formation.”
It was a “mirror” that constantly reflected the society and values of each era.
The evolution of the Fuji faith – from awe to familiarity, from authoritative religion to popular belief, from taboo to free challenge – tells the story of the evolution of the Japanese view of nature and spirituality itself.
This “dynamism” of a constantly changing and regenerating faith is precisely what proves that Mount Fuji is not just a natural landmark but a “living cultural heritage” worthy of UNESCO World Heritage status.
The History of the Ban on Women and People Who Broke Through the Barriers of Faith
As a tradition of Shugendō, a barrier prohibiting women from climbing Mount Fuji was in place for a long time.
The ban was officially lifted by a decree from the Grand Council of State in the 1872 (Meiji 5).
However, even before this, a Fuji-kō believer named Tatsu Takayama, with the help of Kotani Sanshi who inherited the teachings of Jikigyō Miroku promoting gender equality, became the first woman to successfully climb the mountain.
This story symbolizes a history where pure faith moved people beyond formal precepts.
Experiencing the Mystique and Grandeur of Fuji with All Five Senses
A Divine Presence with Ever-Changing Expressions
Mount Fuji shows a completely different face depending on the angle, time, and location from which it is viewed.
Its perfect conical shape has long been a symbol of Japanese aesthetics. However, as the author Osamu Dazai once put it, “It looks like a public bathhouse painting,” sometimes its beauty is so perfect that it can seem comical.
Yet, when it’s shrouded in mist or glows with a pale light under the moon, we feel its living heartbeat, and we are seized by a sense of awe, as if a fox has bewitched us.
The fact that this mountain has two faces – the perfect image we see in the media and the real, changing face depending on the time and place – is what makes it so deeply etched in people’s hearts.
A perfect thing can inspire awe, but it can also make people feel distant.
However, a changing, sometimes hidden, Mount Fuji stays close to the hearts of those who see it, giving them room to spin their own personal stories.
This duality of being a “perfect icon” and an “emotional reality” likely explains why Mount Fuji remains not just a tourist destination, but a “sacred place” and “spiritual home” that holds meaning in each individual’s heart.
A Virgin Forest Full of Life: Aokigahara Jukai
Aokigahara Jukai, a forest that spreads across the northwestern base of Mount Fuji, is a “new virgin forest” formed on the lava flow from an eruption over 1,200 years ago.
Contrary to urban legends, this forest is a mystical space brimming with the power of life.
The trees with oddly curved trunks whose roots grip the lava, the green carpet woven by moss and ferns, and the lava caves (like Fugaku Fuketsu Wind Cave and Saiko Bat Cave), which are remnants of the volcano, powerfully show that this forest is a place of “regeneration,” not “death.”
You can safely experience this living mystery with all five senses by staying on the footpaths.
The Sunrise That Purifies the Soul: The Summit’s Grand View
The ultimate highlight of climbing Mount Fuji is the Goraikō, or sunrise, viewed from the summit.
On the dark and incredibly cold summit before dawn, as the eastern sky begins to turn red and the sea of clouds glows golden, shouts of joy and admiration erupt from many people.
This act of worshipping the sunrise is truly a modern continuation of the Fuji faith.
The moment when the light rising from the horizon breaks through the darkness, enveloped in a sacred atmosphere, is an unforgettable experience that washes away all the hardships and fills you with emotion from the depths of your heart.
“Source of Artistic Inspiration” That Captivated the World
From Edo Aesthetics to Global Aesthetics
In the Edo period, as the Fuji faith flourished among commoners, ukiyo-e artists responded to this enthusiasm by creating many works featuring Mount Fuji.
Katsushika Hokusai’s Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji and Utagawa Hiroshige’s Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji elevated Mount Fuji into a new genre of landscape painting.
These works were not just paintings of a mountain; they expressed a unique Japanese aesthetic of finding Mount Fuji within everyday life.
The artistic value of Mount Fuji was born from a cultural foundation of faith, and that art in turn enhanced the mountain’s value, forming a mutual synergy.
The rise of the Fuji-kō movement gave birth to ukiyo-e, and those ukiyo-e prints redefined Mount Fuji’s beauty and spread it throughout the world.
Japonisme and its Impact on Western Art
In the late 19th century, when Japan ended its isolation, Hokusai’s ukiyo-e prints made their way to Europe, sparking a major movement called Japonisme in the Western art world.
Artists like Van Gogh, Monet, and Debussy were greatly inspired by ukiyo-e.
Hokusai’s name appeared frequently in the letters between Van Gogh and his brother Theo.
Van Gogh was strongly influenced by the bold compositions, colors, and flat, shadowless expressions of ukiyo-e, even copying Hiroshige’s works.
Monet is said to have shown the influence of Hiroshige’s work in his series of Water Lilies, and he was such an enthusiastic admirer of Japan that he built a Japanese-style bridge in his garden.
Furthermore, Katsushika Hokusai’s The Great Wave off Kanagawa was used as the cover for the first edition of Claude Debussy’s famous musical piece La Mer, as the composer was inspired by its bold and novel depiction of the sea.
This artistic sublimation is not just a story of the West discovering Japanese beauty.
The Japanese spirituality of “revering and coexisting with nature” brought a new perspective to Western art through the medium of ukiyo-e.
This, in turn, led to the universal value that resulted in Mount Fuji’s UNESCO World Heritage inscription.
It proves the power of culture to transcend borders and connect different eras and values.
Conclusion: Connecting Japan’s Pride to the Future
Mount Fuji was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site because its divine appearance has remained an “object of faith,” and its beauty has continued to stir the hearts of people around the world as a “source of artistic inspiration.”
It is the very history of “coexistence” between humans and nature that has been passed down to us today, from the era of fearing and appeasing eruptions, to the time of deepening faith and sublimating it into art.
I hope you will take this opportunity to deeply inscribe the multifaceted value of this mountain in your heart once more.
And if you have the chance to visit Japan, please feel the majestic presence of Mount Fuji, its mystical heartbeat, and the depth of the culture its beauty has created, with your own eyes and your own heart.
References
- World Mount Fuji Cultural Heritage Council: 10th Anniversary of Mount Fuji’s Registration as a World Cultural Heritage Site
- Yamanashi Prefectural Fujisan World Heritage Center: About world heritage sites
- Complete Guide to Mount Fuji: Why Mount Fuji was selected as a World Heritage Site
- Ministry of the Environment: Regarding the registration of the World Cultural Heritage site “Mount Fuji – a place of worship and a source of artistic inspiration”
- Fjinomiya City: Mount Fuji – an object of worship and a source of artistic inspiration
- Adachi Institute of Woodcut Prints: Van Gogh was fascinated by the charm of ukiyo-e. What did he learn from ukiyo-e and what did he see in the paintings?
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