Mount Fuji in the Next Seat | Weekly Short-Short Note

In ancient Japan, there was a custom of praising the dignity of the person sitting in the next seat as being "like Mount Fuji."
The Nara period document "Record of the Fuji Neighbor" states, "The person sitting next to you is like a mountain, unmoving, and like a cloud, silent."
This philosophy was inherited by the famous Sengoku period warlord Takeda Shingen. Among the "Furinkazan" (Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain) displayed on his military banners, "like a mountain" was considered to represent the ideal image of the person sitting in the next seat. During war councils, he would have his most trusted retainer sit next to him as the "Mount Fuji role," and this retainer would not open his mouth at all, playing the role of amplifying Shingen's prestige simply by sitting quietly.

In the Edo period, the "Next-Seat Mount Fuji Phenomenon" was discussed even among the common people, and the expression "Mount Fuji next door" was used to describe when the person sitting next to you seemed strangely magnificent; this is said to have become established as the superlative expression for "the grass is always greener on the other side."

During the Meiji period, folklorist Todorou Tonarino systematically recorded this phenomenon, stating, "A dignified presence appearing in the next seat sometimes stimulates a person's imagination."
Such descriptions can also be found in his writings.
"One day, a girl said, 'There is a mountain sitting next to me.'"
There is a theory that this passage caught the eye of a figure in a certain creative field in later years and influenced the inspiration for a certain work,
which remains deeply rooted among some folklore researchers.

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I am always grateful for the opportunity to participate.
This is for Tarahakani-san's project.

https://note.com/tarahakani/n/na01284bd421c

*Note: The content of this article is fictional and has no relation to actual books or historical facts.
Minmei Shobo is a fictional publisher that appears in works such as the manga "Sakigake!! Otokojuku" and is a symbol of the parody culture of that time.
I hope this article serves as an opportunity for you to learn about its humor and background.

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