What is “Sengen Shrine” anyway? Although Mt. Fuji appears to be dormant, it is still technically an active volcano and no one knows when it’s due to erupt. According to the records, this volcano has erupted 11 times in the past 1,200 years. Long ago, it was believed that Mt. Fuji would erupt when the gods were angry, so Sengen Shrine was built to calm the angry gods (the characters for “sengen” can also be read as “asama”, which is also said to refer to volcanoes). Various divine rituals take place at this shrine.
The Kakugyō’s Stone is also found at this shrine. “Kakugyō” refers to the founder of Fuji-kō. In the Edo period, when someone was hit with a strange disease, they were made to swallow a talisman that read “prevention”, which cured the illness. This became well-known, so it spawned various other practices: 18,000 days of sleeplessness, 300 days of fasting, climbing Mt. Fuji 128 times. Furthermore in extremely cold weather, one would stand on this rock on top of their tiptoes naked for 30 days. They wouldn’t stop until the blood in their entire body stopped flowing. The pain you feel through these actions equates to how much you obtain in spiritual and mental strength. That strength is considered to be what restores society to normality.
What was taught by the Kakugyō was carried on by his disciples, but the man who put an end to this is “Miroku”. Miroku was a diligent and hard-working man who came to work in Edo when was only 13 years old. By the time he became 50 years old, he was a successful businessman and managed several stores. However Miroku, who first climbed Mt Fuji at 17 years old and deepened his faith, distributed his fortune to his relatives and started living in a broken-down home. He started doing missionary work while peddling oil.
Then, at the age of 63, he achieved Buddhahood as a human at Eboshi Iwa found three-quarters up the way on Mt. Fuji. In other words, he committed a religious suicide. His shrine is also his coffin, where he did not eat or drink for 31 days. His disciples sat beside Miroku during this time and wrote down Miroku’s teachings. His teachings stated that “these actions are not some kind of charm or spell, but the hard work that connects you to your faith”. His teachings along with the news of his Buddhahood spread, and Fuji-kō received a lot of publicity surrounding his death.
