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Fuji-Hakone-Izu NP, Kanagawa
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Since 1964, Mototsumiya’s October 24 sacred fire has descended by ropeway, crossed Lake Ashi by boat to Hakone Shrine, then been shared with local shrines the next day—a traveling prayer for peace.
Tradition says a white horse brought a deity down at Bako-seki, the “horse-descending stone.” Its hoof-shaped hollow is said never to dry, even in drought; nearby Bajā-seki, the “mounting stone,” preserves the horse lore.
Hakone Shrine’s tradition traces worship here to about 2,400 years ago; Hakone Town’s register dates the documented summit ritual site to medieval–early modern times, with pottery found in a small 1964 dig.
The shrine building visitors see is a 1964 reconstruction, donated by Hakone developer Yasujiro Tsutsumi. The mountain’s worship traditions reach much further back than this present-day sanctuary.
Mototsumiya stands on Mt. Koma, but its focus is neighboring Mt. Kami to the north. Hakone Geopark describes the shrine as a worship hall for facing this sacred mountain; “Kami” means “god.”
On a small, rocky patch of Komagatake’s upper western slope grows Hakone-kome-tsutsuji, a rare shrub. Japan’s forestry agency protects it in a 150-hectare forest reserve that includes this mountain.
