Mount Fugen Summit

Mt. Fugen, at 1,359 meters, was the highest peak on the Shimabara Peninsula until a 1990 eruption on its northeastern flank created the lava dome of Mt. Heisei-shinzan, which now rises higher at 1,486 meters. The mountains have been considered sacred for a long time, though Fugen Shrine on the eastern flank was destroyed in that same recent eruption. In 1792, an earlier period of volcanic activity caused an entire peak to collapse into the Ariake Sea, generating a tsunami that killed an estimated 15,000 people. On clear days from the summit, Mt. Aso is visible, and the volcanic plume from Sakurajima, around 140 kilometers south, can sometimes be seen.