Vestiges of Lost Sengensha

Constructing a Model for the Propagation and Acceptance of Mt. Fuji Worship Based on Forts and Toponyms of Fujizuka

Abstract

Sengensha (浅間社) is a facility for the devotion to Mt. Fuji, but as the diversity of Mt. Fuji worship might suggest, there are actually various gods enshrined. In this paper, I will present various characteristics of Sengensha, followed by a model for understanding the propagation and acceptance of Mt. Fuji worship based on three aspects: Mt. Fuji itself, the metropolitan cultural areas that primarily accepted the Fuji worship, and other surrounding, secondary areas, where local beliefs and customs related to Mt. Fuji emerged independently. The various facets of Sengensha explored in this paper concern the devotion and support of Sengensha by medieval forts, fujizuka (富士塚/藤塚), or mounds representing Mt. Fuji in the Chubu region, and shrines that have “Fuji” as part of their name, whether they worshiped Mt. Fuji or not. In particular, there has been a scholarly debate about the definition of fujizuka that I would like to address by questioning the debate's validity.