S P O T ／ SPOT-275

Suyama Sengen Shrine

須山浅間神社すやませんげんじんじゃ

Standing at the southeastern foot of Mt. Fuji in Suyama, Susono City, this Sengen shrine is known as the starting point of the Suyamaguchi, one of the ancient trails that climb Mt. Fuji from all four directions. Its shrine tradition tells of a founding at the time of Yamato Takeru's eastern campaign and a restoration in 552 by Soga no Iname; a ridge tablet of 1524 confirms it stood here by at least the Warring States period. The sacred grove enclosing the hall is crowded with some twenty giant cedars said to be over 400-500 years old, a few reaching about seven meters in girth, creating a solemn space fitting for a trailhead where pilgrims once performed purification and prayed for a safe ascent. As evidence of the outstanding universal value of Mt. Fuji worship, the precincts and grove were designated a National Historic Site on February 7, 2011, and the site is a component asset of the World Cultural Heritage "Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration."