Life Tips & Miscellaneous Travel and History Zen Philosophy and History Art and Sport Navigation of this blog
History of climbing Mt.Fuji
Mt. Fuji is an active volcano that straddles Shizuoka and Yamanashi Prefectures in Japan. It is 3,776 meters high and is registered as a World Heritage Site, making it a widely recognized symbol of Japan.
Fuji is a stratovolcano formed about 100,000 years ago, and has been recognized as a fearsome mountain that has repeatedly erupted since ancient times. Fuji to appease the wrath of the mountain gods. Fuji to appease the wrath of the mountain gods. The deity enshrined there was Konohanasakuyahime, who also appears in Japanese mythology.
Konohanasakuyahime is said to have given birth safely in a burning maternity house, and was widely possessed as a god strong in the sun. It is also said that Konohanasakuyahime‘s progression originated in Kyushu, where there are many gold mines, and since there were many places where gold could be extracted in the vicinity of Fuji, there is a connection to her as a god of gold.
In the last scene of “Taketori Monogatari” (The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter), a Heian period Japanese literary work, the emperor incinerates a medicine of immortality given by Kaguyahime at the top of Mt. Fuji, and the smoke from the incineration continues to climb the mountain. After the eruptive activity subsided and Mt. Fuji developed as a place for Shugendo, in which Konohanasakuyahime, the deity of Mt. Fuji, was regarded in Buddhism as Asama Daibosatsu, an incarnation of Dainichi Nyorai, the central Buddha of Esoteric Buddhism. Fuji was thus transformed from being worshipped from afar to actually being climbed.
Fuji was not only worshipped from afar but also actually climbed. Furthermore, although at first only ascetic ascetics were allowed to climb the mountain, the development of the monetary economy made travel easier, and ordinary believers were able to climb the mountain as well. This is a special case in countries where mountain worship is deeply rooted. In the Himalayas, for example, climbing is still prohibited in many places because of the sacredness of the area. Compared to other countries where mountains themselves are the object of worship, the idea that “mountains are to be worshipped, but at the top of them is the Pure Land where Buddha resides” has stirred people’s yearning to climb them. This is a unique religious view unique to Japan, a country that has achieved a syncretism of Shintoism and Buddhism.
This trend of mass mountaineering as a form of religion later became a major breakthrough in the mid-Edo period (1603-1868). The “Fuji-ko,” a private group of believers, was responsible for the prosperity of this trend. Fuji climbing tours were popular, in which local communities formed a group, accumulated travel funds, and were led up the mountain by experienced ascetic ascetics called “Sentaku” (mountaineers). The catalyst for this trend was a Shugenja named Shokuyoko Shinroku, who, in protest against the harshness of the Kyoho reforms enacted by the then powerful Tokugawa Yoshimune, went into Mt. This political protest aroused great sympathy among the common people, and along with the simple teaching of “take refuge in Mt. Fuji and you will be saved,” cult-like worship of the individual Shiroku grew, and the Fuji Ko became very popular.
Fuji was associated with this anti-authority image, Fuji Ko also functioned as a recreational activity for the common people. Fuji, but for the common people, it was an exquisite buffer against the frustrations of everyday life, and miniature Fuji mounds were built around the country for those who could not climb the real Mt.
Fuji was severely damaged by the Meiji government‘s decree separating Shintoism and Buddhism. The Meiji government, in its efforts to unify the country through Shintoism, made it a rule to remove Buddhist colors from Shinto shrines, and Mt. Fuji was singled out as a prime target. As a result, today’s pilgrimages to Mt. Fuji have lost all religious flavor and have become a leisure activity only.
Fuji Mountain Race
Fuji, the Fuji Mountain Climbing Race has been gaining momentum in recent years. Fuji, which is one of the oldest and most famous trail run races in Japan, as described in “Born to Run“. The first race was held in 1948 and has been held more than 70 times.
The course starts in front of Fujiyoshida City Hall at an altitude of 770 meters, runs on flat land for a while, and then passes through the Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine
and the trailhead (Yoshida-guchi mountain trail)
Through the hustle and bustle of the fifth station
Again through the mountainous wasteland
Exit to Kusushi Shrine at the top of Mt.
to the top of Mt. The course requires a very fast pace, and the finish rate is less than 50%, making it a very difficult race. The course map is shown below.
I have participated in this race twice before. Both times I managed to finish the race, but it was one of the most grueling experiences of my racing life. Compared to Hakone’s elevation of 880m, the 3000m difference in elevation is more than three times higher, and to complete it in a time limit of 4 hours and 30 minutes is a huge challenge compared to the usual marathon and triathlon races, where you have to run on a flat, almost level terrain, keeping your heart rate up, keeping your pace, and being patient. It is a true “heart-breaking” race that puts a lot of strain on the cardiopulmonary functions, as opposed to the normal marathon and triathlon races where you run on flat, level terrain without raising your heart rate. Furthermore, after the fifth station, the air becomes thinner and the burden on the respiratory system becomes greater.
The Raramuri, who appear in the “born to run“, run 80km at an altitude of about 2000m in a pace of 6 to 8 hours. Considering their experience in the Mt. Fuji climbing race, one can imagine that they are not only efficient barefoot runners, but also ralamuli (running people) with tremendous cardiopulmonary functions.
コメント