Notice of the 2023 'Oyamabiraki' (Mountain Opening)

The season for the 'Oyamabiraki' has arrived once again this year.
Every year, June 30th and July 1st are the days of the annual festival for the Sengen Shrine, which is enshrined within our shrine grounds.

In conjunction with the annual festival, the 'Oyamabiraki' is held for only two days a year to coincide with the opening of Mount Fuji. The Fujizuka 'Shitaya Sakamoto Fuji', which was built in the Tenmei era (1782), also opens its gates, and climbing is permitted for these two days only.

Designated as an Important Tangible Folk Cultural Property, this Fujizuka is a mountain that is 15 meters wide and approximately 6 meters high, made entirely of Fuji lava rock from the first to the tenth station, and can be called an alter ego of the sacred Mount Fuji.

Although 230 years have passed since our Fujizuka was built, it has been protected by the thoughts of many people and still displays its solemn appearance from long ago.

◆ Oyamabiraki

<Opening Hours>
June 30 (Fri) 11:00 - 20:00 Gates open
July 1 (Sat) 10:00 - 20:00 Gates open
*On June 30, priority is given to Shinto rituals, so both the gates and the amulet office will open from 11:00.

June 30, 10:00 Opening Ceremony
*The festival will be conducted by Shinto priests and shrine parishioners. General visitors will be able to climb after the Shinto ritual, which lasts about an hour, from around 11:00.

June 30, 16:00 Oharae-shiki (Great Purification Ceremony) At: In front of the main hall
The Oharae-shiki is a ceremony to purify the impurities of the past six months and pray for a fulfilling second half of the year.
By performing the purification multiple times, it is a Shinto ritual that aims to return one to a state full of original vitality and fulfillment, and to return to a pure and honest heart.

This is a Shinto ritual that anyone can attend, so please take this opportunity to join us.

This 'Oyamabiraki' is also a festival that marks the 'conclusion of the half-year' and the 'beginning of a new half-year'. We decorate the shrine grounds with lanterns and Tanabata decorations to conclude the Great Purification, hold the Oyamabiraki, and welcome a fresh new half-year.

We sincerely pray that by visiting and climbing the mountain with vitality at this half-year milestone, you will spend your time in good health, both mentally and physically, achieve good daily progress, and be even more successful.

◆ Oyamabiraki Special Offerings

*On June 30, priority is given to Shinto rituals, so the amulet office will open from 11:00.

Snake Clay Bell (Dragon God Amulet)

Since ancient times, the snake has been considered the temporary form of the dragon, which is a water deity.
Snake-related sacred items, such as straw snakes, have been produced in large numbers at Sengen Shrines in Edo as amulets for warding off evil, protection against water-borne illnesses, and fire prevention.

There is also a story that when the Shitaya area was once struck by famine and the water dried up, only our shrine's well water did not run dry. Please receive one after your climb, and may you be protected from water-related disasters and live your daily life in peace.

Chinowa Amulet

A 'Chinowa' is a ring made of cogon grass.
By passing through the Chinowa, which is said to possess mystical disaster-warding powers due to the vigorous life force of the grass, we purify ourselves of impurities at the end of the first half of the year and pray for a fulfilling second half.

It is said that if you enshrine this Chinowa, it will protect your descendants from epidemics and disasters.
Please pray for the warding off of disasters, good fortune, and good health for your family by placing it inside or outside your entrance or on a pillar.

Morning Glory Earthen Bell

This is an earthen bell modeled after the morning glory, a flower that symbolizes Iriya.
The morning glories of Iriya became famous during the Bunka and Bunsei eras at the end of the Edo period. Centered in this area, they sparked a major boom throughout the town of Edo.

The Iriya Morning Glory Festival is still held today in conjunction with Tanabata, and it is bustling with many people as a summer tradition rich in Edo atmosphere.
This year, it will be held for the first time in four years, from July 6th to 8th!

◆ 'Shitaya Sakamoto Fuji' Special Goshuin (Seal Stamp)

This Goshuin was created for our mountain opening, finished to allow you to feel the majesty of Mount Fuji even more deeply.
It was crafted in accordance with the purpose of the festival: on June 30th, the last day of the first half of the year, we pray with 'endless' gratitude (Fuji) for the past six months, and on July 1st, the first day of the second half of the year, we pray with a renewed heart for 'unique' determination (Fuji) for the remaining six months.

This is a festival to mark the end of the half-year and a new beginning. Please take this opportunity to join your hands in prayer at this milestone and spend your days in a refreshed state.

We are also offering a special 'Oyamabiraki' Goshuin in conjunction with the Nagoshi no Oharae (Summer Purification Ritual).

◆ The 'Fuji That Anyone Can Climb' Passed Down Through Generations

Once again this year, the opening day of 'Shitaya Sakamoto Fuji', which only occurs two days a year, is approaching.

On the day of the 'Oyamabiraki', people of all ages and genders climb while touching upon the history and culture of Fuji, continuing to convey the source of Edo's Fuji faith to this day.

We climb with a heart of reverence while receiving the blessings of the mountain, and worship Mount Fuji from afar at the summit.

There are few things left that can be shared from the same perspective by people of all ages and genders across generations, but on this mountain, children climb repeatedly with enthusiasm, and adults climb in search of a spiritual experience.

This mountain, which has been passed down unchanged through the wisdom of our predecessors, is perhaps one of the few things that can connect people regardless of age, gender, or generation.

The reason we have a Mt. Fuji that anyone can climb, transcending eras from Edo, Meiji, Taisho, Showa, Heisei, to Reiwa,, is precisely because of the deep faith of the Fujiko people who were determined to accomplish this monumental task for future generations.

Even after approximately 240 years since its construction, it still retains its magnificent form.

◆ Ono Terusaki Shrine

A shrine located in Iriya, in the downtown area of Tokyo, dedicated to the deities of academics, performing arts, and work.
The enshrined deity is Lord Ono no Takamura, one of the leading multi-talented artists of the Heian period. He is a god of painting who loves Java sparrows, appears in the Hyakunin Isshu, and is a highly active deity who works for the Imperial Court by day and the underworld by night. Founded in 852 ⛩, the shrine grounds also feature a Fujizuka mound designated as an Important Cultural Property 🗻

Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line, Iriya Station, 3-minute walk from Exit 4
JR Yamanote Line, Uguisudani Station, 7-minute walk from the South Exit