Relics of the Fuji Road

Scattered throughout the city of Tsuru are weathered stone statues and stelae left by pilgrims traveling to Mount Fuji. A folk religion called Fujiko, which emerged in the seventeenth century, required believers to climb the mountain once in their lifetime, and Tsuru sat along a primary route from Edo. The statues depict various deities associated with safe travel, particularly Jizo. Of special note are the Dosojin stelae showing two embracing figures, the oldest dating to 1695. Tsuru holds the greatest concentration of these markers anywhere along the old Fuji roads, with further examples scattered into the surrounding prefectures.