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Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha Shrine

Head of 1,300 Sengen Shrines

Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha Shrine is located in Fujinomiya City, Shizuoka Prefecture. It is the main shrine of more than 1,000 Asama shrines in Japan. This shrine is dedicated to the great god Asama, and the Wakutama-ike Pond inside it is formed by the melt snow water from Mount Fuji.

Mt. Fuji Hongu Asama Taisha 富士山本宮浅間大社 is located at the Fujinomiya trailhead in Fujinomiya City, Shizuoka Prefecture, with a history of over 1,200 years, the shrine is the origin of the city name Fujinomiya.

In order to avoid frequent eruptions of Mount Fuji, the Japanese people have been worshipping Mount Fuji as a sacred mountain for a long time. Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha Shrine was the first shrine to worship the great god Asama 浅間大明神, the incarnation of the sacred mountain. It is now the Main Shrine of Over A Thousand Asama Shrines throughout Japan, and is known as the First Shrine in Suruga, worshipped by Tokugawa Ieyasu, Takeda Shingen, and other daimyos.

Manywhere Trivia:
The snow-covered section of Mount Fuji, the spiritual mountain of Japan, is not state-owned but privately owned. Tokugawa Ieyasu gave the part of Mount Fuji over 3,300 meters to Asama Shrine. As the result, the modern Japan government has to pay Sengen Taisha Shrine an exorbitant annual rent to open the mountain to tourists.

In addition to the Worship Hall and the Main Hall, there are Tower Gate, Ni-no Torii (The Second Torii), The Stone Torii, and many other sub-shrines. The Main Hall of Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha Shrine is a two-story pavilion-style architecture, and is a masterpiece of Asama-zukuri style architecture in Japan.

A Representative of Asama-zukuri Architectures

On the east side of the Main Hall is a 2,500 square meter pond called Wakutama-ike Pond 湧玉池. The water in the pond comes from the melting snow at the top of Mount Fuji and is filtered and purified by the volcanic rocks, making the pond clear and transparent. It is said that in ancient times, worshippers would wash off their impurities here before climbing the mountain to avoid blaspheming the gods. The melted snow water of Oshino Hakkai Springs in the Fuji Five Lakes Area is considered sacred for the same reason.

The Kanda River near the shrine is formed by the water of the Wakutama-ike Pond. With such a clear view by the river, you can almost touch The Sacred Mount Fuji with your hand.