Shibokusa Sengen-jinja Shrine

Founded in 807 and moved to its current site in 1186, this Sengen shrine in Oshino is closely connected to the nearby Oshino Hakkai springs, developed by parishioners in the 19th century. A stand of ancient Japanese yews grows on the grounds, some with circumferences over three meters, several growing in joined husband-and-wife pairs. Among the shrine's treasures are three wooden statues from 1315, one representing the Sengen goddess Konohanasakuya-hime. Local legend also links Mt. Fuji's name to the shrine, tracing it to the Japanese word fushi, immortality, after a grief-stricken emperor burned an elixir there at the peak closest to heaven.