Marcionの匣
お悩み相談
AuthorSuzy
Power spot for matchmaking
Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine
One of the founders was Hojo Yoshitoki, the Kamakura Shogun
A shrine that enshrines the gods of beauty ・the super heroes of Japan
Soon, it will be Valentine’s Day.
In Japan, it is common for women to give chocolate to men, right?
Not only to the person you like, but also to the people who take care of you, your family, colleagues and so on, it is a big event to give chocolate.
Did you know that the origin of Valentine’s Day is said to have originated in Italy? It dates back to the Roman Empire era.
The Roman emperor at the time thought that young people did not want to go to war because they did not want to leave their families or lovers, and forbade marriage.
Valentinus (Valentine is the English reading), a Christian priest who felt sorry for them, secretly performed wedding ceremonies for soldiers.
However, this was discovered by the Roman emperor and he was warned not to do such a thing again, but Valentinus did not obey and was executed. Valentinus was executed on February 14th, 269 AD. Every year on February 14th after he was executed, the Roman people prayed for Valentinus.
It is said that the event of “Valentine’s Day” as a day for lovers began around the 14th century.
And in Japan, which is not a Christian country, the custom of giving chocolate on Valentine’s Day started with an advertisement by a Japanese confectionery company.
By the way, “White Day” on March 14th, one month late, also started with a call from confectionery makers across Japan to return gifts with sweets. It is a unique culture of Japan.
The custom of White Day seems to have spread to Asian regions such as China, Taiwan and Korea.
In Europe and America, Valentine’s Day is a day when men give cards and flowers to women and confirm their love.
It may be good to borrow the luck from Valentinus, who made Valentine’s Day a memorable day, but there are also gods in Japan that you can turn to.
Among the many shrines all over the country, why don’t you go to a shrine where there is a god who has the power of love fulfillment and get the power of love?
This time, I would like to introduce Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine, a historic shrine on the Yamanashi side of Mt. Fuji.
It is a shrine where “Konohananosakuyahime no Mikoto”, who is popular as a beautiful and strong god, is enshrined as the main deity.
Let’s take a look at the charm of Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine as a power spot for love.
The three main deities
The main deities of Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine are Konohananosakuyahime no Mikoto, Hikohononinigi no Mikoto (also known as Ninigi no Mikoto), and Oyamatsumi no Kami.
It is called Kitaguchi Hongu because it is located at the north entrance of Mt. Fuji climbing, as opposed to Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha (Shizuoka Prefecture), which is the head shrine of all the Sengen shrines in Japan.
Asama means “volcano”, and Sengen means “Fuji as a volcano”.
In the Heian and Edo periods, there were large eruptions of Mt. Fuji, and people feared that it was the wrath of the gods, and during the reign of Emperor Suinin, they enshrined Asama Okami in the foothills of the mountain (Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha in Shizuoka Prefecture).
Asama-no-Okami came to be identified as Konohananosakuyahime due to the beautiful appearance of Mount Fuji.
Konohananosakuyahime no Mikoto was married to Ninigi no Mikoto, who was attracted by her beauty.
Ninigi no Mikoto, who fell in love with the princess at first sight, is the grandson of Amaterasu Omikami, the ancestral god of the imperial family, and is regarded as the god of national land conservation.
He is also a married couple god who has a strong bond with Konohananosakuyahime no Mikoto, and has a miraculous effect on marital harmony.
Konohananosakuyahime no Mikoto’s father, Oyamatsumi no Kami, is a mountain god whose divine virtue is widely spread, and covers a wide range of fields such as forestry, mining, agriculture, sea, ironwork, sake brewing, etc., and leads to family harmony.
Ninigi no Mikoto doubted that Konohananosakuyahime no Mikoto’s child was not his child when she was pregnant, and she got angry and said that if it was his child, it should be born safely in any disaster. She set fire to a delivery room with no entrance or exit, and gave birth to three children in the flames to prove her innocence.
From this, Konohananosakuyahime no Mikoto was revered as a god of preventing fire disaster and became the god of Mt. Fuji.
She risked her life to prove her innocence by giving birth to three chidlren…
I can't help but admire the strength of Konohananosakuyahime when she tries to assert her own will.
Konohananosakuyahime no Mikoto is said to be enshrined in various places throughout Japan as a god of safe delivery and child rearing as well as a god of preventing fire disaster.
She is a very popular god.
It is a miraculous shrine where three high-ranking gods are enshrined.
The power spots in the shrine
First, I will introduce the origin of the shrine.
It is said that it started when Yamato Takeru (Yamato Takeru no Mikoto) stopped by during his eastern expedition in 110 AD and said to worship Mt. Fuji from Otsuka Hill (Otsukayama).
Yamato Takeru is the prince of Emperor Keiko, the 12th generation, and the father of Emperor Chuai, the 14th generation.
Later, the locals built a small shrine and enshrined Asama Okami, and Yamato Takeru was also enshrined. In 781 AD, there was a great eruption of Mt. Fuji, and in 788 AD (the 7th year of Enryaku), Kai no Kami Kino Toyohiro (a person who played a role similar to that of a prefectural governor) built a shrine hall at the current location.
During the Heian period, as mountain worship became popular, Fujiko, the groups of people who believed that they could go to paradise after death by climbing Mt. Fuji, appeared.
Edo’s Fujiko Murakami Kousei collected donations and used his own money, and built large buildings such as Heiden, Haiden, Chozuya, Kaguraden, Zuishimon, etc. between 1733 and 1738, and they are preserved till now almost in the original form.
Now it is designated as one of the assets of the World Cultural Heritage “Mt. Fuji”.
It is a large grayish torii gate.
It retains its appearance since it was completed in 1930.
Passing through the torii gate and on the long approach road, there are moss-covered lanterns lined-up on both sides.
The stone where Kakugyo performed a 30-day ascetic practice of standing on tiptoes on this stone while naked in the bitter cold remains.
The founder of Fuji-ko, a mountain worshiper, Fujiwara Kakugyo-shi was born in Nagasaki and received a revelation from the god of Mt. Fuji in his dream at the age of 18 that he would be taught if he climbed the mountain and underwent a trainning.
He climbed in 1577 (the fifth year of Tensho) and climbed Mt. Fuji many times after that.
The hardships of Kakugyo’s nationwide pilgrimage training are
・Stay in a hole in a lava tube for a thousand days and cleanse yourself with water
・Keep standing for seven days
・Walk through Ocyudo (around where there are falling rocks at an altitude of 2400m) on the half way up Mt. Fuji
・Water purification by cleansing oneself at Hakai (going around inner and outer Hakai at the foot of Mt. Fuji)
・Stand on tiptoes on a pillar or rock about 14cm square
It is unimaginable that he performed such difficult tasks.
It is also said that he saved the lives of many patients with his power of pray from a strange disease that became popular in Edo.
Don’t you feel that his willpower and power to overcome difficulties are overflowing?
As you walk along the approach with large trees on both sides, you will see a splendid torii gate in vermilion color.
It is about 18m high, 11m wide, and has a maximum pillar diameter of 1.2m. It is one of the largest wooden torii gates in Japan and is rebuilt every 60 years.
The most recent renovation was done in 2014.
Zuijinmon is a gate built in 1679 to ward off and keep away evil spirits.
Standing in front of Zuijinmon, on the right side, there is a statue of Zuijin in red clothes, and on the left side, there is a statue of Zuijin in blue clothes.
The two dignified figures seemed to be watching over the worshippers.
It was built in 1736 by Fujiko, Murakami Kousei.
Kushiiwamato no Kami and Toyoiwamato no Kami are enshrined here.
Zuijinmon left
Zuijinmon right
It is made of a water basin stone carved from lava.
It is a sacred water from Senzui, one of the Hakai that are sacred places of Fujiko.
It is very clean water because it draws spring water from Mt. Fuji, which is about 3 km above.
It is said that it takes many years for the snowmelt water from Mt. Fuji to spring out.
This is a Chozuya where the “sacred water” of Mt. Fuji springs out.
It is said to be a thousand years old and has the benefits of fertility, safe delivery, money luck, and good fortune.
This is also a splendid sacred tree that is a thousand years old, with a trunk circumference of 7.65m, a root circumference of 17.0m, and a height of 33m. It is called Meoto Hinoki because two hinoki trees are joined at the base and then joined again at 12m above the ground. The two large trees cuddling together resemble the loving couple of the gods Ninigi-no-Mikoto and Konohana no Sakuyahime. This is said to be the most powerful spot for matchmaking in the shrine. There were couples who took pictures in front of the Meoto Hinoki. You can’t help but feel the energy of the large trees that have been enshrined here for over a thousand years, overcoming the eruptions of Mt. Fuji.
Fujitaro Sugi
Fujimeoto Hinoki
Fujimeoto Hinoki
On the left side of the main hall, there was also a plum tree called a Meoto Plum.
It is a plum tree that grows two trunks from one root, as if they are cuddling together.
It is a plum tree that is quietly located in a place that is not noticeable, different from the place where the Meoto Hinoki is located.
This also seems to have the benefit of matchmaking.
It was built in 1615 by Torii Tosa no Kami Naritsugu, the lord of Tanimura Castle, and has been repaired several times to its present form.
Tanimura is an area located in front of Otsuki.
Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine is built with the main hall, the heiden, and the Haiden from the back, and at the place where you worship, there is a large bell above, and two tengu keeping their eyes peeled.
The main hall seen from the side
The main hall and heiden seen from the side
It was founded by Hojo Yoshitoki in 1223 (Joo 2) and was built by Takeda Shingen in 1561 (Eiroku 4) in the Muromachi ・ Momoyama style.
People nowadays, the previous historical drama, Hojo Yoshitoki, the Kamakura-Shogun and Takeda Shingen, the representative warlord of Yamanashi, have some connection with the main hall.
It used to be the main hall, but it is a shrine building of the Muromachi style, built by Asano Saemon-no-suke, the lord of Tanimura Castle, in 1594 (Bunroku 3).
The main hall, the Higashimiya main hall, and the Nishimiya main hall are designated as national important cultural properties.
The Higashimiya main hall and the Nishimiya main hall were renovated for the first time in 35 to 40 years, and the roof was covered with hinoki bark and the paint was freshly repainted with a colorful and glossy paint, so it felt like they were reborn.
The family crest of Murakami Kousei, who devoted himself to the protection of the shrine, is carved on the lantern.
This is the shrine with the name of Murakami Kousei, who devoted himself to the construction of Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine, even at the expense of his own fortune.
Thanks to Murakami Kousei, who was not from Yamanashi, but dedicated his life to the shrine at the foot of Mt. Fuji, it is still a splendid shrine that attracts visitors from domestic and abroad.
This lantern was dedicated to honor the achievements of Murakami Kousei.
It is said to have been made by the famous carver Hidari Jingoro.
With the power of Ebisu-sama and Daikoku-sama, your fortune for money may also increase. There was a hidden power spot in an unnoticeable place behind the shrine.
The smiling faces of Ebisu-sama and Daikoku-sama are heartwarming.
Ebisu Shrine
Ebisu sama and Daikoku sama
Nowadays, most people climb Mt. Fuji from the fifth station, but this is the entrance to the climbing route to Mt. Fuji that was often used from the Edo period to the Meiji period.
Some people also visit Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine and then head for Mt. Fuji from here, the starting point of the Yoshida route, as people did in the old days.
It is located about 250 meters from the right side of the shrine’s route.
It is a hill where Yamato Takeru no Mikoto stopped by and paid his respects to Mount Fuji during his eastern expedition in the year 110 AD, while he was heading from Ashigara to Kofu.
He was so impressed with the view that he suggested that people should pay their respects to Mount Fuji from this hill. As a result, Ootsuka Hill is considered the birthplace of the Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine.
Climbing up a small hill after passing through the gate will lead you to Ootsuka Hill.
You can feel the spiritual power of this legendary hero in Japanese mythology here.
The old torii gate makes us feel the history.
It’s as if you’ve traveled back in time to about 2,000 years ago when Yamato Takeru no Mikoto was alive.
You can get goshuin from the three shrines, Main Shrine, Suwa Shrine, and Otsuka Hill, at the Kita-guchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine.
It is rare to get three goshuin from three different shrines in one place.
The goshuin book is designed with Mount Fuji and cherry blossoms flowing in water.
There is also goshuin book with a cute pink cherry blossom pattern.
It seems that the cherry blossom embroidery was sewn using the popular Gunnai texitile from this region.
There are more than 20 sub-shrines and branch shrines enshrined in the precincts.
The goshuin book of Sengen Shrine
Goshunin
Sub shrine
Kunitsu Shrine, Tenjin Shrine, and more than 20 sub-shrines and branch shrines are enshrined in the precincts.
It is an amulet that has the benefit of becoming beautiful both physically and mentally.
There are two types of small and cute amulets, pink and white.
By having the amulet of beauty, you can become beautiful both physically and mentally, and get closer to a person with both talent and beauty like the goddess Konohanasakuya-hime.
Finally, let’s take a look at a small shrine related to the origin of the fire festival. It is a shrine located in a corner of the precincts of Kita-guchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine.
The details of its origin are unknown, but it has been believed as a god who protects this land since ancient times.
As the power of Asama Okami who had faith in Mount Fuji increased, it became a sub-shrine.
The Haiden was built in Keian 2 (1649), and the main hall was rebuilt in Showa 51.
It is designated as a designated cultural property of Fuji Yoshida City.
Suwa Shrine
Oyama Mikoshi
Myojin Mikoshi
Fire Festival
The fire festival is one of the “Three Great Strange Festivals of Japan” held for two days every year on August 26th and 27th.
It is a mountain-closing festival held with the hope that Mt. Fuji will not erupt.
The origin of the fire festival dates back to the record of the Miyukimichi (a road for a passage of a Mikoshi) in 1572.
The actual origin of the festival is said to be earlier than this.
A large vermilion-colored Mikoshi called “Oyama-san” is carried out from Kita-guchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine and placed in “Otabi-sho,” a place a little down the road.
The biggest feature of the fire festival is the view where about 80 large torches with a height of 3 meters and a diameter of 90 cm are lined up on a main street with a golden torii gate.
The sight of the large torches burning is like a sea of fire, and the scene where stalls and shops line up on both sides and people from all over the world bustle is breathtaking.
People who see the fire festival for the first time are impressed by its scale and uniqueness.
Despite the fact that such large torches are lined up in such a small place full of people and shops, it is said that there has never been a fire disaster.
Is it thanks to the spiritual power of Konohanasakuya-hime?
You can’t help but feel the mysterious power that cannot be explained in words.
This fantastic festival that marks the end of climbing Mt. Fuji is worth seeing.
How was the Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine
The shrine has many things such as three deities enshrined, the Meoto Hinoki the god Yamato Takeru no Mikoto, who is enshrined on the Ōtuka Hill, as well as stones that represent many hardships of each training. The shrine also houses more than 20 sub shrines, and Suwa Shrine where fire festival is held. The shrine is considered one of the most powerful power spots at the foot of Mount Fuji.
If you’re lucky, you might even see a wedding ceremony taking place there.
It has many benefits such as matchmaking, business prosperity, good health, success in exams and competitions, safe climbing, industrial development, wish fulfillment, and skill improvement.
In this spiritual world, let's get the power to help us tackle any challenge with confidence!
It's recommended to take a walk from the Fujisan Station on the Fujikyu Line, stroll down the street with the golden torii gate, and explore the area around the house of the Oshi (religious guides), which was used by the Fuji-ko followers when climbing Mount Fuji.
The former Oshi houses, which numbered around 90, are now mostly gone, but some still remain in the area used as accommodation, preserving the atmosphere of the past.
The Kikuya-bo Inn (Fujisan Kitaguchi Oshi) is a renovated Oshi house that has been in operation for over 400 years and now it offers tours of the facility.
“Café & Guest House” and “Daiganmaru hitsuki guesthouse & café” are new types of Oshi houses that offer vegan sweets and drinks that are good for health.
It’s also nice to look back on the era of Fujiko (the worship of Mount Fuji) at a Oshi house related to the shrine.
The shrine is too close to Mount Fuji, and there are so many tall trees surrounding the grounds that you can’t see the entire mountain from inside the shrine.
From a place down the road from the shrine, please look up at the majestic view of Mount Fuji in its entirety.
Please pray to receive the power of the god of Mount Fuji to realize the wish of having a wonderful Valentine’s Day!
Happy Valentine!
・Address: 5558 Kamiyoshida, Fujiyoshida City, Yamanashi Prefecture 403-0005
・Public transportation: Please refer to the Fujikyu Railway website.
・Car: 3 km from the Kawaguchiko IC on the Chuo Expressway and 3 km from the Fujiyoshida IC on the Fuji Five Lakes Road.
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