Encyclopedia

Fuji, Mount

Fuji, Mount (fOO'jē) [key], Fujiyama (fOO"jēyä'mä, foojē'yämä) [key], or Fuji-san (fOO'jē-sän) [key], volcanic peak, 12,389 ft (3,776 m) high, central Honshu, Japan, in Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park (472 sq mi/1,222 sq km; est. 1936). The highest mountain in Japan, it is a sacred mountain and the traditional goal of pilgrimage. According to legend, an earthquake created Fuji in 286 B.C. The beauty of the snowcapped symmetrical cone, ringed by lakes and virgin forests, has inspired Japanese poets and painters throughout the centuries. Its last major eruption was in 1707.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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