Once upon a time, there was a little shrine here that enshrined the god Daikoku-ten. This shrine also doubled as a resting spot for weary climbers.

Finally, we have arrived at the fourth gō, but what is the origin of the counting word “gō”? Gō is also a unit used to measure rice and grains. The traditional unit of distance was “ri”. 1 ri is about 4 kilometers. But when you look at Mt. Fuji, one could say it resembles a beautiful cone similar to large pile of rice, 1 ri became 1 gō, 2 ri became 2 gō and so on. There are other unique theories surrounding this, like one based on karma, also pronounced “gō” in Japanese. You go up to the first gō, second gō, third gō, getting closer and closer to whatever deity resides on this mountain, gradually cleansing yourself of your sins. So there is a chance that this meaning is included in this counter for climbing mountains as well.

One thing’s for sure: it does not have to do with sea level. The gō marks are set in topographically stable parts of the mountain. Think back to the number of fallen trees you’ve seen or deformed parts of the road due to melted snow. Since long ago, miniature shrines have been put at these gō marks because they were less susceptible to danger. People would be on the lookout for these milestones. After reaching them, they would use it as an opportunity for rest and some warm tea. That’s why at every gō of the mountain, there was a teahouse.