Lake Asumiko and Lake Senzuko
Lake Asumiko
In One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji, by the artist Hokusai (1760–1849), Lake Asumiko appears as a placid lake surrounded by thatched houses, with Mt. Fuji just barely visible in the distance. This area was the gateway to Yoshida for those approaching from the east via the Toriichi Pass. Pilgrims who took the alternative Fuji Road that branched off the Koshu Highway at Otsuki and followed the Katsura River southwest also would arrive at the lake. It was locally known as Lotus Lake (Hasumi-ike).
Four households of the village on Lake Asumiko’s shores operated mountain lodges (yamagoya) on Mt. Fuji offering rest or overnight accommodation to pilgrims. Two were located on the mountain’s flanks and the other two at the peak.
Lake Senzuko
Also known as Lake Senzui, Lake Senzuko was a late addition to the Inner Eight Lakes pilgrimage circuit. It replaced Lake Sudoko, which was on the south side of the mountain, an inconvenient location for pilgrims coming from Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to the north.
Lake Senzuko is about three kilometers from Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen-jinja Shrine, where the Yoshida Ascending Route up the mountain began. As a result, many pilgrims performed their suigyo purification rites on their way to the mountain.
Nothing remains of Lake Senzuko today except the mountain spring that once filled it. The spring is still channeled through a culvert to fill the shrine’s basins for hand-washing and purification.