Who was the first person to ascend Mount Fuji in recorded history?

Hello! This question is a bit more complex than it seems because it involves the distinction between "legend" and "verifiable historical records." Let me break it down for you.

The First Person in Legend: En no Gyōja

If we go back to the oldest legends, the first person to climb Mount Fuji is believed to be En no Gyōja.

Who was he? En no Gyōja was a semi-legendary figure from the Asuka Period (late 7th century AD). He was a mystic and mountain ascetic, considered the founder of Shugendō. Shugendō is a unique Japanese religion that blends Shintoism, Buddhism, and mountain worship.
The story: According to legend, En no Gyōja possessed supernatural powers to command spirits. In 663 AD, he ascended Mount Fuji using his magical abilities.

Note: It's important to remember that this is more of a mythological tale; we have nothing conclusive like reliable historical sources to prove it. In ancient times, Mount Fuji was revered as a sacred mountain inhabited by deities. The earliest climbers were motivated by religious asceticism, not by a desire to "conquer" or "sightsee."

The Documented "Firsts" in History

If we define the standard as "clear, verifiable written records," especially from modern history, the answer changes.

The First Foreigner to Summit: Sir Rutherford Alcock

For a very long time, women were forbidden from climbing Mount Fuji, and access for foreigners was also extremely limited.

Time: September 1860
Identity: He was the first British diplomatic envoy (Minister Plenipotentiary) to Japan.
Significance: His climb is recognized as the first documented ascent of Mount Fuji's summit by a non-Japanese person. This event also marked the opening of the mountain to the wider world.

The First Woman to Summit: Lady Fanny Parkes

Following Alcock, another significant barrier was broken.

Time: 1867
Identity: Wife of Sir Harry Parkes, the then British Minister in Japan.
Significance: She became the first documented woman (and first non-Japanese woman) to reach the summit of Mount Fuji. Her action was remarkably bold and groundbreaking at the time, as the prohibition on women climbing the mountain was not officially lifted until after the Meiji Restoration (1872).

To Summarize

So, answering this question is like peeling back the layers of an onion:

Legend Level: The first climber is the 7th-century ascetic En no Gyōja.
Modern History Level: The first documented foreigner is Sir Rutherford Alcock in 1860, and the first woman is Lady Fanny Parkes in 1867.

As for the first Japanese person to summit, identifying a definite "first" is extremely difficult due to the remote era. Early climbers were typically unnamed monks or ascetics whose acts often went unrecorded. Therefore, En no Gyōja is conventionally accepted as the legendary answer to the question.

Hope this explanation clears things up! Pretty interesting, isn't it?