Sengen Shrine, Oyama Town, Suntõ District, Shizuoka prefecture
Sengen jinja, Oyama Town, Suntō District, Shizuoka prefecture.
There are approximately 1,310 Sengen Shintõ shrines in Japan. Sengen shrines are centered around the worship of the kami Konohana-no-sakuyahime-no-mikoto, the daughter of the mountain god Ōyamatsumi-no-Mikoto. Konohana-no-sakuyahime-no-mikoto is the kami of Mount Fuji. Due to her fidelity, she is revered as a model for Japanese women.
Sengen shrines are found primarily in Shizuoka Prefecture and Yamanashi Prefecture, with a few smaller ones in other areas of the Kantō region and Aichi.
Generally, Sengen shrines must be within sight of Mount Fuji, and thus in connection with Konohana-no-sakuyahime-no-mikoto. Where obstructions hinder a direct view of Mount Fuji a Fujizuka or miniature Mount Fuji is erected instead where Konohana-no-sakuyahime-no-mikoto can be worshipped. A Fujizuka may be made from almost anything, but it must contain rocks from Mount Fuji which are believed to be imbued with the spirit or essence of Konohana-no-sakuyahime-no-mikoto.
Popular worship of Mount Fuji among all classes goes back to the Muromachi period (1392-1573) and has been passed down to today.