Mountain worship (Fuji)

From afar Fuji looks the picture of pristine

Jesus gave a sermon on the mount.  Buddhists seek them out for monasteries.  The ancients of the Far East used to worship them.  What is it about mountains and spirituality?

The obvious answer is that they make you high.  Literally.  And figuratively.  They’re as close as you come on this earth to heaven.  And the lack of oxygen may well mean that they’re as close as you can come to passing into otherworldliness too.  Climb a mountain and you ascend to a higher realm.

Mountains bring escape from the tedious trivialities of everyday existence into rare contemplation of the blessings of life.  Mountains take you up, up and away.  They make you feel awake, alert, alive to the wonders of the world.  Mountains are simply magic.

Tourists jostle for photos in Seifa Utaki's sacred opening

Given the rare nature of mountains, it’s alarming then to hear of the sorry state of that most sacred of mountains, Mt Fuji.

Even as the vetting group for the World Heritage nomination write their report, the state of the holy mount remains sadly anything but conducive to spirituality, as a personal comment below makes clear, taken from a piece on mountain climbing in Japan Today…

Okinawa’s most sacred site, Seifa Utaki, has recently won the right to be closed on certain days according to the lunar calendar in order to preserve a sense of sanctity for worshippers.

Registration as a World Heritage site has brought Seifa increased numbers of tourists, but ironically a downturn in the very spiritual qualities for which it was registered.  For believers it was not so much a blessing as a curse.

Will Fuji benefit from World Heritage status, or will it mark its final ruination?  All to play for as the final decision is  settled this June in the hallowed halls of Unesco….

Watch this space!

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From Japan Today….

a warning to those going to climb mt fuji in the official seasons.
beware of the following:

* rubbish
* elderly
* endless people, walking at a crawl.
* the entrance fee to actually climb the mountain.
* the glaring lamp lights of those attempting to reach the summit before the sunrise, especially a perfectly clear night with a full moon.. you can actually see more without the lamps on..

View from sacred Mt Miwa down over the mortals mired in the Yamato basin