Travel · From the archive
Mount Fuji History
Preserved in the archive in 2006. Historical article; travel and business details may have changed.
It is thought that the first ascent was in 663 by an anonymous monk. A sacred mountain since ancient times, Mt. Fuji’s summit was forbidden to women until the Meiji Era. Today, it is a popular tourist destination and common destination for mountain-climbing. Mt. Fuji is an attractive volcanic cone and a frequent subject of Japanese art. The most renowned work is Ukiyo-e painter Hokusai’s masterpiece 36 views of Mt. Fuji. It is also mentioned in Japanese literature throughout the ages and the subject of many poems. Mt. Fuji also houses a warrior tradition: ancient samurai used the base of the mountain as a remote training area, near the present day town of Gotemba. As of 2005, the Japan Self-Defence Forces and the United States Marine Corps operate military bases near Mount Fuji. (Article based on Wikipedia article and used under the GNU Free Documentation License) |