Who Owns the Summit of Mount Fuji: The State, Local Government, or Private Entities?

Okay, let's talk about this fascinating topic.

The Summit of Mount Fuji is Actually Private Property!

Many people might instinctively assume that the summit of a national symbol like Mount Fuji surely belongs to the Japanese state, right? But the answer might surprise you.

Simply put, the ownership of the summit area of Mount Fuji (the section above the 8th station) belongs to a private religious corporation called "Fujisan Hongū Sengen Taisha," which is a Shinto shrine.

So, it belongs neither to the national government nor to any local government – it is "private" property.

We Need to Go Back in Time: Tokugawa Ieyasu's "Grand Gesture"

To understand this, we need to rewind to the Edo period, several hundred years ago.

To the ancient Japanese, Mount Fuji was a sacred mountain imbued with divine power, prone to eruption. To appease the mountain god, people built Sengen shrines at its base for worship.

In 1606, the de facto ruler of Japan at the time, the famous Tokugawa Ieyasu, made an incredibly "generous" decision. To express gratitude to the gods for granting him victory in the decisive Battle of Sekigahara and to pray that Mount Fuji would cease erupting, he donated all the land above the 8th station (approximately 3,360 meters above sea level) to Fujisan Hongū Sengen Taisha.

You can think of it like a super-wealthy individual donating a plot of land to the temple he revered. From that point on, the summit of Mount Fuji became the shrine's "private property."

This is the "landlord" of the summit—Fujisan Hongū Sengen Taisha (Main Sanctuary)

A Little Interlude: Nationalization and Return

But the story doesn't end there.

During the Meiji Restoration (late 19th century), the Japanese government implemented policies like "Shinbutsu Bunri" (separation of Shinto and Buddhism) and land reforms. Many lands originally belonging to shrines and temples were nationalized, and Mount Fuji's summit was no exception. This "state-owned" status persisted until after WWII.

After WWII, Japan adopted a new constitution guaranteeing religious freedom and property rights. Thus, Sengen Taisha began its long journey to "reclaim its land." They presented the original donation document from Tokugawa Ieyasu as evidence and demanded the government return the summit.

The legal battle dragged on for many years. It wasn't until 2004 that the Supreme Court of Japan finally ruled, confirming Sengen Taisha's ownership of the area above the 8th station. The government formally transferred the land back to the shrine without charge.

Does This Affect Us Tourists Climbing the Mountain?

You might ask, "If it's private property, do we climbers have to pay the shrine? Or are we not allowed to climb?"

No need to worry whatsoever!

Although the land belongs to the shrine, it is regarded as a public space for faith and tourism. Sengen Taisha is remarkably generous, granting everyone free passage and the freedom to climb. They do not set up barriers or charge an "entrance fee" for the summit itself.

However, here's an interesting point:

Who manages the trails and summit facilities? The mountain trails you hike, the summit weather station, the mountain huts – these facilities are actually maintained and managed jointly by the Japanese government and the prefectures of Yamanashi and Shizuoka. They effectively build and manage public infrastructure on the shrine's "territory."
There's a post office at the summit. You can mail postcards with the unique Mount Fuji summit postmark from there. This post office is also operated by Japan Post on the shrine's land.

To Summarize

So, regarding the ownership of Mount Fuji's summit, we can understand it simply like this:

Who owns it? A private entity, specifically the Shinto shrine "Fujisan Hongū Sengen Taisha".
How big is the area? All land from the 8th station upwards to the very summit.
Why is it private? It stems from Tokugawa Ieyasu's historic donation over 400 years ago.
Does it affect visitors? Not at all, everyone is free to climb.

Isn't that fascinating? The highest point of a national symbol actually belongs to an ancient shrine. This stands as a unique phenomenon arising from the complex interplay of Japanese history, religion, and law.