By Yuri Yuhara
As many of you already know, due to its connection with Japanese religions and
art, Mount Fuji was recognized by Unesco as a World Heritage Site in 2013. Not
only the mountain and the forest around it, but a total of 25 sites related to
artworks and to the worship of the gods of Mount Fuji make part of the heritage
site listed by Unesco. Among these 25 locations, one of the most curious places
is the Funatsu Lava Tree Molds (船津 胎 内 樹形 Funatsu Tainai
Jukei).
More than a thousand years ago, when Mount Fuji erupted, lava from the volcano
covered the region's trees. The vegetation was burned by lava, but many trunks
remained intact or partially intact until the lava got solidified. After the
natural decomposition of the trunks, the space previously occupied by the tree
became empty, creating dozens of cave-like spaces in the middle of the
solidified lava. Funatsu Tainai Jukei is the largest cave that emerged from
this eruption, and its unique shape made it be considered a holy place, used to
worship the goddess of Mount Fuji.
The Mutsumuro Sengen shrine was built in the entrance of the lava tunnel and in
the Edo period the pilgrims stopped at Funatsu Tainai Jukei to pray for their
safety before climbing Mount Fuji or for safe deliveries.
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| Cave entrance |
The complete route inside the cave has approximately 70 meters, which can be
covered in about 10 minutes. Small stalactites can be seen in the walls and
ceiling, from where water flows, and you have to walk with your head down and
sometimes crouch or even crawl to pass through some stretches.
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| The tunel exit |
Edo-era pilgrims believed that passing through Funatsu Tainai Jukei represented death and rebirth and was an important purification process before entering the sacred mountain, Mount Fuji.
Funatsu Tainai Jukei
Address: 6603 Funatsu Minami Tsuru Gun, Fuji Kawaguchiko
Hours: from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed on Mondays)
Admission: 200 yen (adults), 100 yen (children)
More information, in English: https://www.yamanashi-kankou.jp/foreign/english/spot/p6_2741.html
In japanese:
See it on Google Street View!
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