Summit of Mt. Fuji
Mt. Fuji Gohshingu
A phantom shrine, said to appear only when the clouds part
Location
Mt. Fuji summit, within a gap in the clouds (legend)
Also Known As
The Cloud-Hidden Shrine
Blessings
Wishes fulfilled, paths opened
Omikuji
33 fortunes in all
Origin
It's said that when thick clouds cover the peak of Mt. Fuji, this shrine cannot be seen. Only in the brief gap when the clouds part can those with a bond to it glimpse the small shrine within. This story has been passed down since ancient times.
Legend holds that during the Edo period, a Fuji-faith pilgrim named Takekichi stumbled upon this shrine on one of his many ascents. There he found a jar and countless omikuji slips. The jar bore the carved words "Mt. Fuji Gohshingu," and beside it, a wooden tablet read: "Clouds part, the moon shines clear — in the end, all things return to sincerity of heart."
Takekichi carried that teaching down the mountain, and ever since, the story of this omikuji has quietly passed from person to person. Now, one of its fortunes has made its way to you.
The White Heron Messenger
Legend says it's a white heron that carries each fortune from the shrine down to the people who seek it — weaving through gaps in the clouds, landing only before those who are lost, and gently placing the fortune it carries in its beak.
That faint breath of wind when you shake the jar is said to be the heron taking flight. The one delivered to you today may have traveled all the way down on its wings, from somewhere above the clouds.
About the Omikuji
Mt. Fuji Gohshingu's omikuji come in thirty-three fortunes, each inscribed with words echoing the small shifts of heart felt while climbing the mountain. Shake the jar, and the number you draw is the very fortune meant for you.
Once drawn, you may keep it close, or tie it to the bond-tying branch. If you'd like to take it with you, you can also save your omikuji as an image.