Arakura Fuji Sengen Shrine

Set halfway up Mount Arakura, this shrine was founded in 705 as the local deity of the Arakura district in the Yatsushiro County area of the ancient Kai Province. In 807, following a major eruption of Mount Fuji, an imperial envoy came to offer a ceremony praying for the country's peace and the quelling of the mountain. This occasion doubles as the origin story of the shrine’s title as "San'koku Daiichi Yama" (The Greatest Mountain in the Three Countries) which was gifted by Emperor Heizei, along with the shrine’s iconic red torii gate and imperial scroll written by the Emperor himself.

Written in legend, this historic shrine is said to be the site where Takeda Nobutora, the father of Takeda Shingen, prayed for victory before a battle against the Hojo clan and succeeded by setting up camp on Mount Arakura.

Many today love this site as a prime Mt. Fuji viewing spot, complete with a lookout point up above the grand torii gate that offers panoramic views of the Chureito Pagoda, the cityscape of Fujiyoshida and the looming Mt. Fuji, just waiting for you to take a snap. The carpet of pink cherry blossom trees below in spring makes this spot even more extraordinarily special.

As a bonus spot, the shrine boasts beautiful stone steps and the grand torii gate on the main approach, as well as a large tree known as the "child-rearing sacred tree". The shrine draws many visitors seeking blessings for protection from disasters, family harmony, safe childbirth, and child-rearing.