Mar 28, 2019 - 1 min read

Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha

An imperial grand shrine in Shizuoka Prefecture

By Illaura Rossiter

Community writer

In unique Sengen style construction, the treasure hall is on the second floor of the main building

Cherry blossoms bloom alongside the main hall where visitors stop to pray

Visitors leave prayer boards, carrying their prayers to the gods, beneath one of the shrine's cherry blossom trees

A sign points the way to a water collection station where visitors can bottle the shrine's sacred waters to take home

The shrine is home to the Gushing Jewels Pond, which boasts clear waters and an emerald appearance

At the entrance to the shrine, visitors purify themselves before entering

In the eastern part of the shrine grounds you can see one of many large torii on the far side of the Gushing Jewels Pond

A bridge to a small shrine passes over the Gushing Jewels Pond

Through one of the main torii to the complex, you can see Mount Fuji

The statue of Minamoto-no-Yoritomo, the first Shogun of the Kamakura Period, who initiated the temples horeseback archery festivals

The Mirror Pond lies just before the shrine gates

Looking past the spring festival booths, you can see Mount Fuji through the trees

Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha, which is the head shrine for over 1,300 Sengen shrines in Japan, has a history which pre-dates historical records. According to legend, it was built between 29BC and 70AD, founded by Emperor Suinin, the 11th emperor of Japan, in order to pacify Mount Fuji, which was active at the time. It was later rebuilt at its present location by Emperor Heizei, the 51st emperor of Japan, between 773AD and 824AD. Over the years, many famous clans have been patrons of this shrine, including the historical figure Tokugawa Ieyasu, who built the existing shrine buildings in 1604. While many of the original buildings were lost in the great earthquakes of 1633 and 1854, the inner shrine, outer shrine, and tower gate remain.

This shrine holds annual horseback archery festivals, and is considered to be the main entrance to Mount Fuji due to its position on the traditional pilgrimage path from Kyoto. Many climbers make a stop here before heading to the 5th station, halfway up the mountain, to begin their trek. The grounds actually extend to the top of Mount Fuji as well, with the land extending from the 8th station to the top being officially a part of the shrine.

Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha (富士山本宮浅間大社) is located approximately a ten-minute walk from Nishi Fujinomiya station (西富士宮駅) on the JR Minobu line.