Tag: Shugendo

Japan by Train 9: Dewa Sanzan

July 6, 2022 / John D. / 0 Comments

Sanzan means three mountains, in this case referring to Mt Haguro (414 m / 1360 ft), Mt Gassan (1984m / 6509 ft) and Mt Yudono (1504m / 4934ft ). The three sacred mountains in Yamagata Prefecture are said to represent the past, present and future, but practically speaking the small hill of Mt Haguro acts as entry point for Mt Gassan, where ascetic exercises are performed. The more remote Mt Yudono, only accessible by walkers, serves as holy sanctuary, and in the past worshippers were required not to speak of what they saw there.

According to tradition, Mt Haguro grants happiness, Mt Gassan consolation, and Mt Yudono rebirth. Since I was not looking for rebirth, nor did I feel in need of consolation, I decided the gentle slopes of Mt Haguro would suit me just fine. In fact I had visited once before and remembered fondly the magical sight of its five storied pagoda – a work of art in harmony with the surrounding cedars. Santoka, the wandering poet, wrote of Westerners conquering mountains whereas Easterners contemplate them, while he himself ’tasted’ them. I knew what he meant, for the fine taste of Haguro lingered on my lips.

The bus from Tsuruoka emerges into a timeless landscape in which tiny figures in farmer’s clothing are dwarfed by misty mountains, as in a Chinese ink painting. When we reached the foothills, a large torii straddling the road announced we were entering the realm of the kami, and to either side were conspicuous signs of religiosity – shrines, buddhist statues, and shimenawa rice rope denoting sacred objects. Most striking of all was an enormous oversized haraegushi (purification stick) that looked like a relic from the Age of the Gods, when heroic figures and giant ogres strode the countryside.

At the entrance to the trail up Mt Haguro stood a run-down public toilet, placed strategically for the relief of visitors to the realm of the sacred. Despite its mosquito-ridden condition, someone had taken the trouble to place social distance markers on the floor. It was impressive. Even here, alongside the ancient traditions, modern hygiene prevailed.

Immediately on entering the woods the fresh fragrance of cedar became apparent and it was noticeably cooler, welcome relief indeed on such a warm day. Noticeboards announced with a concern for precision that the pathway had 2446 steps, and that lining the righthand side were 281 trees while lining the left were 301. This was thanks to the 50th head priest, who had laid out the approach over a period of thirteen years in the seventeenth century.

English language signage added to the site of a sacred cherry tree

The pathway into the woods begins with a gentle descent, accompanied by the refreshing sound of water running down either side. Since my last visit there had been a significant change in that signs were bilingual for the benefit of tourists, and in front of a small wooden shrine was an announcement in English; ’Presiding kami Amenotajikarao no mikoto, Divine virtue: Proficiency in arts and sports.’ It seemed an invitation to pray, and praying in Japan means paying, so I tossed a coin into the offertory box and prayed for proficiency in arts. The sports I was willing to forego.

Further along the trail, the outline of a pagoda became apparent. From a distance it was barely discernible amongst the trees, for though it is an impressive twenty-nine meters high (95ft), it nestles beneath the canopy of the surrounding cedars. The result is a harmonious blending of art and nature. The impossibly tall trees have slender trunks stretching skywards as if reaching for heaven, while the pagoda exhibits elegance combined with stunning craftsmanship. If you stand below it and try to work out how the joints fit together, your brain is sure to get scrambled. And all that interconnecting complexity is done without the use of nails.

At this point, covered in a film of sweat, I decided I had had enough. Foolishly I had not brought any water, and my back was aching. I had intended to press on to the thatched buildings of Dewa Shrine, but I knew the kami would forgive me if I turned back. On the bus to Tsuruoka, I watched the mountains recede into the distance and thought of Basho. Trained in Zen, he was open to all forms of spirituality as is the Japanese way, and he had managed the full course at Dewa Sanzan, austerities and all. But then, I consoled myself, he was a mere forty-five at the time. When he visited, It had also been a warm day and he wrote of relief from the summer heat.

The coolness
And a faint three-day moon –
Mount Haguro

After a week at Minamidani (South Valley), Basho climbed the more demanding Mt Gassan and did ascetic exercises, before proceeding to Mt Yudono. Given the taboo on revealing what happens there, he cleverly wrote of it by not writing of it. (The Tsuruoka tourist board are less compliant, for their brochure explicitly describes the sacred object of worship.)

Yudono
of which I may not tell –
sleeves wet with tears

The mountain experience stimulated the poet’s imagination, and brought out his playful side too. The ‘De-’ of Dewa Sanzan means exiting, or emerging, and Basho used this in a haiku that sees him emerge from the mountains not to some great spiritual insight, but to vegetables. The ‘first of the season’ eggplants were prepared specially for him by his pupil, Nagayama Juko.

How unusual –
emerging from Dewa
to first eggplants

Sacred rock used as a marker for training by Shugendo practitioners

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For another Green Shinto piece on Dewa Sanzan, please click here.

Connections with Nature Pt 2

April 10, 2021 / John D. / 4 Comments

This is a continuation of the interview with Alena Yushu Eckelmann. (For Part One click here.)

4) What does a typical spiritual tour consist of? Where could readers find out more, such as the price of tours and the type of accommodation, etc?

There is no typical spiritual tour. All pilgrimages and retreats are tailor-made and specific to the person or group of people I am guiding. There are common elements though such as mindful walking in nature, water and fire purification, prayers and chanting, meditation, a focus on the five elements and the stimulation of the five senses.

There should to be a strong interest in Japanese spirituality and Shugendo and the willingness to engage in practices and to follow instructions as a prerequisite. As I am working with my teachers and their temples, a relationship based on trust and mutual agreements must be honored at all times. I am planning, coordinating and guiding each tour and hence the number of tours depends on my, and my teachers’ capacity.

Depending on the number of days, the number of people, the accommodations and the content, the price varies. I work with the local communities and temples on Koyasan, Yoshinoyama and Kumano and use accommodations there. It can be Shukubo, guesthouses, minshuku or ryokan. The aim is to provide healthy meal options with ingredients ideally locally sourced, such as Shojin Ryori, Medicinal Cooking, vegetarian cooking, hand-made soba, or similar.

By working with other locals, many of those have become my friends over the years, I try to contribute to the revitalization of the Japanese countryside and to foster a sustainable way of engagement between locals and visitors. My ideal is that guests do not just pass through but stay longer and engage more.

5) You also offer forest bathing. Many have heard about this but they not fully understand it. So how would you explain it? What is involved in the forest bathing you offer.

“Forest bathing” wants to bring us out of the head and into the body. Our senses are the interface between the outside world and our inside world. They let us experience our surroundings and connect with what is around us. We take them for granted but don’t really take advantage of this great gift anymore. When do we really see, hear, smell, taste and feel things around us, much less nature where we spend so little time these days. Many of us live in their heads and through their mobile devices. We think about the world rather than actually sense it with our body. The world is outside there, separate from us, rather than us being a part of this “inter-connected web of beings”.

Japan is the birthplace of Shinrin-yoku, which translates as “forest bathing”. It stands for a full immersion in a forest or in another natural environment and engagement of all senses, fully dressed of course and ideally in-person. Imagine that you bath in the atmosphere of the forest like you would bath in sunlight. You soak it all up with your senses and let the sounds, sights, scents, tastes, colors and textures of the forest do its beneficial work to your nervous system.

To be able to do that you need switch off your smartphone or better don’t bring it at all, then to slow down or even stand still, and become silent and observant of your surroundings as well as your feelings. This is something that we are not accustomed to doing in nowadays fast-paced, overstimulating, noisy and virtual lifestyles.

Smell the faint sent of the shrubs, trees and flowers next to the trail.

Listen to the murmur of the little stream that runs through the forest.

Feel the touch of a breeze of wind gently blowing through the valley on your skin.

See the shades of green around you and the different shapes of trees and leaves.

What are you noticing?

Can you imagine sitting for 15 minutes under a tree doing nothing but focusing with all your senses on your surroundings. What are you noticing? Can you imagine to connect with a more-than-human being in the forest and have a conversation? What are you noticing?

The phrase “Forest Bathing” was coined in the 1980s in Japan. Its underlying idea is that spending time in nature benefits our health and wellbeing. Over the next 20 years the Japanese researched and scientifically tested this concept. Later the phrase was changed from Shinrin-yoku to Shinrin Therapy, which is now a recognized health management system in Japan.

The Forest Therapy Society of Japan describes Forest Therapy as “a research-based healing practice through immersion in forests with the aim of promoting mental and physical health and improving disease prevention while at the same time being able to enjoy and appreciate the forest”.

When Shinrin Therapy hit foreign shores (North America, Europe, Australia, amongst others) over the last 10 years more elements were incorporated and new methods and concepts were created that reflect the history of the land and its native people.

The Japanese way of Forest Therapy and the Western way differ a bit. While the former is more a structured guide-lead walk with elements of nature education, the latter is an invitational and participant-centered self-exploration with elements of council, or sharing circles. I have trained and I am licensed in both ways: first with the Forest Therapy Society of Japan and then with the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) based in the US.

Forest therapy includes mindful relaxation

6) Finally a general question about the spiritual mix of Shinto, Buddhism and Shugendo. Do each offer something different, or can they simply not be separated in your opinion?

Shugendo is typically described as the “way of training and testing to receive special powers”. This is typically done in the mountains and forests of Japan and over time certain places have become the training grounds of Shugenja, the followers of Shugendo. The founder of Shugendo is said to be En-no-gyoja who lived in the 7^th century. Gyoja means a person who is doing gyo, or ascetic activities in the mountains and forests. He is known to have been an herbalist and to have achieved super-natural powers through his training. He must have been in close communion with the spirits of the land and with the invisible realms of the kami-sama, the Japanese deities of Old Shinto.

He lived at a time when Buddhism had just arrived in Japan. The imported deities and believes merged with the local deities and believes and created a syncretism referred to as Shinbutsu Shugo. I think of it as two sides of the same coin. Each side is different but they cannot be separated. Academics called this merger Honji Suijaku (original ground and manifested traces) whereby Indian and Buddhist deities (Honji) appear in Japan as local kami (Suijaku), a theory that was accepted until the Meiji Restauration when Buddhism and Shintoism was forcefully split.

I believe that this syncretism is still the under-current of Japanese spirituality now and it is the base of Shugendo, which developed over centuries, merging both strands of Shintoism and Buddhism, as well as other influences such as folk beliefs and Taoism, into a spiritual mix with its own practices and rituals, and with its own identity as a self-conscious spiritual tradition.

Pilgrim’s hat and staff for walking the Kumano Kodo

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To read some published articles about Alena, please click here for a piece in Japan Tour, or for Kansai Scene here, or for Buddhist Door here.

Connections with Nature Pt 1

April 8, 2021 / John D. / 4 Comments

Alena Yushu Eckelmann – ‘Kii Monogatari‘

1) You are a guide in Wakayama Prefecture which contains the UNESCO World Heritage trails of Kumano Kodo. How long have you been there, and how did it come about?

I came to Japan in 2005 and joined the Executive Training Program (ETP) Japan in Tokyo. All was set for a corporate career and life in Japan’s capital. I had lived in London for 9 years before and worked as a research manager at a company near Oxford Street, so coming to Tokyo was a new challenge and a step up. Deep down, however, I craved for nature and living in the countryside. I grew up in a small village and spent a lot of time outside in the woods and fields during my childhood.

While living in Tokyo, I visited Kumano several times and walked the Kumano Kodo trails. I fell in love with the area and wanted to live there. This is also when I came across Shugendo, a spiritual tradition of mountain asceticism. I started training with a teacher who came to Tokyo once a month. At some point I just wished I could live near his temple and commit to serious training.

Quitting Tokyo is not easy but then came March 11 2011 with the Triple Disaster (Earthquake, Tsunami, Nuclear Meltdown) in Tohoku. This gave me an ‘excuse’ to leave the metropolis and move to a remote region, basically going from one extreme to another. My Japanese partner and I just packed up and on July 1 2011 we drove down with no place to live and no work lined up.

In 2013 I had a chance to participate in the first Interpreter-Guide Training of Wakayama Prefecture and became a licensed guide for the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trails and for Koyasan, the Shingon Buddhist monastery in the north of the peninsula. In 2020 I also passed the Koyasan guide license examination at Kongobuji, the head temple of all Shingon Buddhist temples.

Having these licenses opened doors for work in an area where there is little employment, however, I did the training also for myself to learn more about the pilgrimage traditions on the Kii Peninsula, and about Saint Kobo Daishi and Shingon Buddhism, both of which I had a strong interest in by then. I started guiding “regular” tours and took foreigners around Koyasan and around Kumano and walked the pilgrimage trails with them as part of hiking tours.

This is how I became a guide. I worked full-time as a tour guide for a tour operator from 2013 to 2018, which often took me to other parts of Japan and away from Kumano again. I decided then to go freelance and take the next step: to set up on my own. This became the Kii Monogatari – the story of the Kii Peninsula and my story living here. I cannot separate one from the other. As such, the Kii Monogatari is not a “product” like a tour but it is an evolving journey in which I am as much a traveler as are people who visit here. This year will be my 10^th anniversary on this beautiful peninsula to which I am totally committed now.

Alena leading a pilgrimage of foreign visitors

2) How did your life before coming to Kumano inform your current activities?

There is no short answer to this question. My interest in nature and spirituality come from my upbringing in a small village in East Germany. My family is Protestant Christian. We were practicing Christians in a socialist state before The Wall came down in autumn 1989. After this life-changing event it took me some time to deal with something that resembled a “culture shock” and my next mission was to learn English, get a degree and climb the career ladder. During these years I focused on study and work. I had discovered the esoteric section in the bookstores and eagerly read one book after another.

This went on until I got to Tokyo and went through Japanese language and business training on the ETP program. It was a high-level training aimed at young managers in European businesses dealing with Japanese clients. I felt privileged to be on this program and at the same time I could not shake off the feeling that there was something lacking, something that did not quite fit.

After the end of ETP I took the radical decision to explore the feeling and signed up for intensive aikido training and for taiko drumming, and I started jogging through Tokyo. A whole new world opened up. All three activities were physically strenuous more than spiritual. I wanted to explore where they would take me. First, I committed myself to running the first Tokyo Marathon. I was no runner and had just started jogging but I pushed myself and crossed the finishing line in February 2007. Then I signed up for the Senshusei training in Yoshinkan Aikido, an 11 month aikido boot camp. It took me from scratch to the Black Belt in 2008. In the same year I signed up for the Monkansei training at Oedo Sukeroku Taiko and I trained with a group of people until I left Tokyo.

These activities taught me about “mind over matter”, but also that a healthy body hosts a healthy mind. They taught me about following a traditional “way” as a lifestyle, being patient, diligent and determined, about the importance of the master-deshi relationship and the value of my training group and training partners. There were so many traditional and cultural things that I learned about Japan that the corporate training had not taught me.

These were all experiences that would form the base for my Shugendo training, which started for real after my move to Kumano.

3) You offer spiritual tours, which draw on your own experiences and practice in Shugendo. Could you tell us about your spiritual training?

Soon after moving to Kumano I entered a 21 day training period at Sangakurin, my Kumano teacher’s Shugendo temple. The training was Kaihogyo, an ascetic practice that consists of “circling the mountains”, playing the Hora (conch shell) and prayers at certain places in the mountains. The 10km course was the same every day for 21 days. I memorized the prayers in Japanese during this time, including the Hannya Shingyo (Heart Sutra) and mantras dedicated to En-no-gyoja, the Founder of Shugendo, Fudo Myoo and Zao Gongen, central deities in the Shugendo tradition.

Since then I have walked this Kaihogyo course every year in December for one week. This training is my winter shugyo (ascetic exercise) and it is dedicated to Shakka Nyorai’s Nehan. My summer shugyo is walking the Okugake, the Shugendo training trail that connects Kumano with Mount Yoshino. This is a 7-day walk across a mountain range that consists of countless peaks at an altitude of 1,000 to 2,000 meters. Along the trail are 75 nakibi, places for prayer.

Regular training has been gongyo, a formalized service of veneration and worship that is usually done twice a day. It involved memorizing many more mantras for specific deities but I love chanting and devotional prayer. There are training periods of 3, 5 or 7 days that I commit to danjiki (fasting) and meditation. There are periods of training that involve misogi and takigyo, purification in water or under a waterfall. Difficult training includes 3,000 prostrations to the Buddhas in 3 days and chanting the Lotus Sutra, all 28 chapters.

In May 2016 I received Tokudo at Sakuramotobou Temple on Mount Yoshino. My dharma name is Yushu. Since then I have received transmissions from my teachers in Shugendo rituals. Training is ongoing and transmissions take place when my teachers consider me ready. I try to attend the services at my teachers’ temples whenever possible and there attend gongyo services, monthly goma (fire ceremony) prayers and festivals throughout the year.

In addition to the rituals, there are many more activities that are maybe not spectacular but they are part of training, such as cleaning the temple halls and temple compounds, weeding, wood-cutting, preparing for ceremonies and helping at festivals. Some are seasonal and related to the teachers’ temple activities, such as planting and harvesting rice, or supporting the mountain entry of a group of 30 men by preparing their futons and meals.

In recent years there has been increasing interest in Shugendo, and there have been more and more requests to me to help coordinate and guide pilgrimages, kaihogyo walks or weekend retreats with a Shugendo theme. I understand that this is also part of my training to become a Sendatsu, a guide and leader of pilgrimages.

My teachers have already given me the opportunity to help guide various people, including groups of women, groups of teenagers, media representatives, researchers and foreigners with a strong interest in Shugendo. I have also been asked to plan, coordinate and guide “spiritual tours” for a number of groups from Taiwan, the USA and Australia. This is how Kii Monogatari has gradually emerged over the last few years.

(Part Two of this interview can be read here.)

Shugendo in Kumano

February 9, 2020 / John D. / 0 Comments

Hayatama Taisha, one of the three great Kumano Shrines (photos by John Dougill)

Hayatama Shrine in Shingu city stands at the mouth of the Kumano River, where it flows into the Pacific Ocean. There is a wooden plaque near the entrance of the Haiden (Worship Hall), on which, according to Paul Swanson, is written the following:

The first great spiritual place of worship in Japan, The foundation of the Three Kumano Gongen (Shingu, Nachi, Hongu).

Gongen is a deeply syncretic term, indicating Japanese manifestations of the Buddhas. In other words, kami acting as local avatars for their universal counterparts. “It is a word coined by the followers of esoteric Buddhism to explain the unity of the Buddhas and the kami,’ writes Paul Swanson in his online paper, The Kumano Area and the Roots of Shugendo: A Study in Eclectic Japanese Religion‘.

For those drawn to nature worship, nothing could be more appealing than Shugendo and their tradition of ‘entering the mountains’. The thinking is simple. Mountains are sacred space. Buddhas and kami manifest there. Humans can tap into their power by ‘lying in the mountains’, worshipping and doing ascetic exercises.

Since ancient times mountains have been seen as sacred, not only because they are the closest places on earth to the Upper World but also because the deceased were buried on their lower slopes. They were thus the site of both animist and ancestral spirits. Later esoteric Buddhism came to site their temples on mountains too.

Yamabushi blowing their own conch-shells

According to tradition, Shugendo was founded by En no Gyoja in the seventh century, and later split into two groups, one attached to Tendai Buddhism and one to Shingon. The austerities they carried out ranged from climbing steep cliffs, praying in caves, and cold water austerities. Through entering the mountains one comes close to death, and on returning one is reborn.

Fasting, sleeplessness and hard hiking courses inevitably induce a change in consciousness. As a result the return from the mountains brings a sense of reinvigoration and enhanced power, enabling practitioners to carry out healing and other socially beneficial activities.

For a detailed account of a Shugendo mountain experience by a group based at Kyoto’s Shogo-in, see the first chapter of Paul Swanson’s paper cited above. It’s very similar to an account by Gary Snyder of his experience in the 1950s when he was dangled over the side of a cliff as part of a practice to create in the practitioner a change for the better.

Shugendo practitioner applying some spiritual healing

Shugendo training

October 15, 2018 / John D. / 2 Comments

In the past five years, due to the rise in tourism there have been tremendous changes in Japan’s traditional culture. Aspects of the culture that were insular and hard for foreigners to fathom are increasingly opening up and advertising in English. This includes the geisha world here in Kyoto, along with Zen meditation and other Buddhist practices.

Like many traditions, Shugendo (mountain asceticism) was said to be in decline in recent times, but it seems that it too is turning to foreigners and spiritual tourism as a source of reinvigoration. Thanks to Green Shinto supporter Jann Williams, we have learnt recently of foreign participation in pilgrimages. Now comes news of five day and two day courses run in English.

For the webpage, please click here. The price for the five day course described below is not disclosed, but we are informed that it does not come cheap!

Full five-day experience that takes place on all three of the Dewa Sanzan: Mt. Haguro, Mt. Gassan, and Mt.Yudono. Includes waterfall meditation. Only limited places available.

Day 1 “Disconnection”

An opportunity to disconnect from the everyday world in preparation for your adventure. Connect to your inner self in an ancient Japanese monastery.

Day 2 – 4 Authentic Yamabushi practice

Day 5 “Post-Yamabushi Restoration”

Feel the sense of universe at the Yamabushi territory in the Sea of Japan.

Training Locations

Mt. Haguro, Mt. Gassan and Mt. Yudono, the three Dewa Mountains, considered highly sacred in Japanese culture. Traditionally and among select groups today, Dewa Sanzan is a unique hub of animistic Shinto and Buddhist fusion, where different forms of Japanese spirituality blend into one.

They represent the past, the present, and the future.

Mt. Gassan is the mountain for the souls of the dead. It is the highest of the three sacred mountains. It represents the past, the things that we want to let go of.

Mt. Haguro represents the present. The Haguro hike climbs 2,446 stone steps, which pilgrims have walked for more than 1,000 years.

Mt. Yudono represents the future, and the possibility of new potential after rebirth, and casting off the past.

Schedule

5 days, 4 nights

Schedule in 2018

(3 times a year only)

July	9-13
August	6-10
September	3-7

Other options are available. Feel free to contact us.

Master Hoshino

All Yamabushido Programs are supervised by Master Hoshino, a famous local Yamabushi priest, and the 13th generation of his family to follow this vocation. Master Hoshino lives in and runs Daishōbō, a pilgrim lodge located at the foot of Mt. Haguro.

He has dedicated his life to living as a Yamabushi, introducing many people from all over the world to its mystical power.

His approach to the Yamabushi tradition is grounded in deep tradition, but also made deeply relevant to the way we live our lives today.

* Master Hoshino may not be present with the group throughout the whole program

Accommodation

We provide accommodation at Daishōbō pilgrim lodge at the foothills of Dewa Mountains.

Day 1 Cozy western-style single room
Day 2-3 Daishōbō pilgrim lodge
Day 4 Yudono-an or Tamaya in Yutagawa Onsen

Meals

On the first day, you will eat a simple meal at Zenpōji Temple and a smaller dinner to ready you for proper Shugyō training that begins the next day.

Day two to Day four is proper Shugyō training, and the meal for Shugyō training is very simple; rice, Miso soup, and small pickles.

Please be aware that allergy free meals will not be available at Zenpōji Temple and during Shugyō

On the fourth day, there is a special lunch with hand-made Shojin Cuisine and local Sake made by the landlady of Daishōbō. Please be aware that allergy free meals will not be available during Shugyō unless specially requested. The meals will include rice, miso paste (soybeans and rice), Tofu, Seaweed, Japanese herbs, mushrooms, and Fu (wheat gluten). Allergy free meal will be available.

On the fifth day, we will have a more substantial meal of meat, fish, or vegetables to help you adjust back to normal life.

Please be aware that we cannot change the content of the meals at Zenpoji Temple or during Shugyo Training. Feel free to leave behind things that you cannot eat.

Limited meals will be served during the Training..

Transportation Service

To / From Shonai Airport or Tsuruoka Station is included.

Minimum amount for running a program

1 people (Maximum : 20 people)

Price

make an inquiry

Shugendo on Mt Ontake

March 7, 2018 / John D. / 1 Comment

Green Shinto follower Jann Williams, who is researching about the use of the five elements in Japan, has kindly allowed us to use her latest posting from her website, elementaljapan. We are grateful to her for the following insight into the particular type of shamanistic Shugendo practised on one of Japan’s most famous sacred mountains.

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Shugendo now – a winter pilgrimage on Mt Ontake, Japan

MARCH 3, 2018 by Jann Williams

Mt Ontake is a sacred mountain 100 km northeast of Nagoya on the border of Nagano and Gifu Prefectures. At 3067 m it is the second highest volcano in Japan, after Mt Fuji. Pilgrimages to worship Mt Ontake and seek spiritual enlightenment have been made for centuries and continue today.

On 23-24 January 2018 I joined a winter pilgrimage on Ontakesan with the Wani-ontakesan community, led by three Shugendo masters. Undertaking ascetic practices on the mountain in extreme conditions reinforced that we are part of nature and the universe. Sharing this experience with others and hearing the word of Gods and ancestors through a medium – a hallmark of Mt Ontake worship – was profound and empowering.

The rituals and prayers associated with the pilgrimage were a sign of deep respect and reverence for Mt Ontake and its Gods, and the ancestors memorialised on its volcanic slopes. This transformative experience deepened my understanding and appreciation of the elements in Japan and Japanese culture. It is a pleasure to share my impressions of the two days spent with this remarkable community of faith.

Mt Ontake viewed from Mt Hakobuto. Unlike Mt Fuji the volcano is currently active, most recently erupting without warning in 2014. Many lives were lost and the mountain top is now out of bounds to pilgrims and hikers. The eruption is a reminder of the elemental forces that continue to actively shape Japan. Source: Wikipedia Commons

Shugendo has been practiced on Mt Ontake for centuries. It is a highly syncretic and ancient religion found only in Japan. Shugendo practices and teachings draw on Shinto, Esoteric Buddhism, Taoism and shamanism, and the rituals incorporate both godai (the five Buddhist elements) and gogyo (the five Chinese elements). Nature and the elements are a fundamental part of the religion and way of life of the practitioners who seek spiritual power and enlightenment through ascetic training in the mountains. My first experience with a major Shugendo ceremony was at Kinpusenji in Yoshino in July 2016. It made a deep impression that is recorded in the post Fire up, Water down. Going from an observer of a ceremony there, to participating in a pilgrimage on Mt Ontake, took my understanding and appreciation of Shugendo to another level.

Until the late 1700s, Mt Ontake was the exclusive reserve of Shugendo ascetics who undertook severe austerities before their annual pilgrimage. Around this time two ascetics – Kakumei and Fukan – opened pilgrimage paths on Mt Ontake. These are referred to as the Kurosawa and Otaki routes, respectively. By opening access for lay people to Ontakesan the nature of worship changed, leading to the formation of numerous and widespread pilgrim groups (kou). Fukan was a great Shugendo master and has special significance for Wani-ontakesan. The Mt Ontake faith they practice differs from Ontakekyo, a Shinto sect with which other pilgrim groups are associated.

A kakejiku (hanging scroll) of Mt Ontake. Source: Doukan Okamoto

In the popular kakejiku shown above, Mt Ontake comes alive as a place of worship and home to the Gods. At the top of the scroll Kunitokodatai-no-mikoto, Oonamuchi-no-mikoto and Sukunahikona-no-mikoto are represented – these Gods are enshrined at the base of the mountain. The three main Gods of the mountain are depicted in the middle section with Ontakesan-zaou-daigongen in the centre, Hakkaisan-daidura-jinnou on the right and Mikasayama-touri-tengu on the left. Kakumei and Fukan are shown at the bottom right and left, respectively, either side of Fudo Myoo (‘the Immovable Wisdom King’). On the kakejiku, the latter three figures are shown located around a sacred waterfall, of which there are several on Mt Ontake.

Yasunari (centre), Motoshige (left) and Doukan Okamoto – the Shugendo masters that led the winter pilgrimage. ( Source: Doukan Okamoto)

Wani-ontakesan made a pilgrimage to Mt Ontake twice a year, in both winter and summer. Winter is considered the more challenging because of the snow and extreme low temperatures. The Okamoto family has been leading the mountain pilgrimages for over 100 years. The head of the family and Wani-ontakesan community, Yasunari Okamoto is shown in the middle of the above image with his sons, Motoshige and Doukan. The brothers are twins and share a strong bond. The symbol on the hachimake (headband) worn by these masters represents Mt Ontake and was designed by Fukan. Motoshige and Doukan are wearing the distinctive clothing of the Shugenja, those who obtain spiritual powers through hardship on the mountains. Each item of clothing is symbolic and has deep meaning. The mudras – energising, symbolic hand gestures – performed by Yusanari, Motoshige and Doukan are an essential and focal element of Shugendo rituals.

Reijinhi (Stone memorials), Mt Ontake. January 2018.

One of the striking features of Mt Ontake found nowhere else in Japan is the stone monuments known as reijinhi. It is estimated that there are over 20,000 of these memorials on Ontakesan. They are the spirit abode of reijin, the title given to ascetic practitioners and devotees of Mt Ontake after they have died. Reijin are an important part of the Wani-ontakesan faith, as they are to other pilgrim groups who visit the mountain. The monument sites have an overwhelming spiritual and mystical ambience during winter. The grey of the reijinhi and deciduous trees, in combination with the white of the snow, directly connects one to nature and is a powerful reminder of the depth and significance of worship at the mountain.

Takigyo, Mt Ontake. January 2017. (Source: Kei Shima).

Both takigyo (waterfall practice) and kangyo (practice in winter) are part of the winter pilgrimage on Mt Ontake. Takigyo is one of the best known ascetic practices associated with Shugendo. It is a form of meditation designed to cleanse the body and mind – one that is not commonly performed in the extremes of winter. Splashing water on your body before standing under the sacred falls, and reciting the Fudo Myoo mantra (an important deity in Shugendo and Esoteric Buddhism) while in them, are components of takigyo on Ontakesan. Seiji Inagaki, who I shared the 2018 pilgrimage with, is shown in the image above standing under the falls reciting the mantra. Doukan and Motoshige Okamoto are present and have their backs to the photographer. Women undertaking the practice wear a white top and pants under the waterfall. Whilst undertaking takigyo I was oblivious to the cold. The combination of the sacred falls, impact of the cascading water on my head, and chanting of the mantra focused my mind and senses exclusively on the moment.

Kurosawa Hakkaisan Shrine, Mt Ontake. January 2018.

A significant ascetic practice during the pilgrimage involved traversing steep terrain in the fresh snow during the day and night to visit spiritual sites. Our first destination was the Shrine dedicated to Hakkaisan, one of the three main Gods of Ontake. A small group of pilgrims prepared the Shrine in advance (image above) by lighting candles and incense and positioning items on the alter to be blessed by the Gods. The offerings included food, drink (sake, beer) and personal items that were subsequently removed. This practice was repeated elsewhere on the mountain over the course of the pilgrimage. The service at the Shrine included mantras for Hakkaisan Daizura-Sin Nou, Kakumei-Reijin, Ebisu-Ten, Daikoku-ten (Ebisu’s father) and Kobo-Daishi. After the outdoor service was completed we took tea in a nearby hut before moving lower on the mountain.

The spectacular late – afternoon view from Kurosawa Hakkaisan Shrine, Mt Ontake. January 2018.

Shugendo masters Motoshige (left) and Doukan Okamoto, Mt Ontake. January 2018.

Oza, or mediated spirit possession, occurred three times on the pilgrimage beginning on the first evening after the service at Kurosawa Hakkaisan Shrine. Along with reijin, the trances are considered the defining feature of Mt Ontake worship. The first description of the ritual in English was by Percival Lowell in 1895 in his book on occult Japan. A number of academic treatises and popular articles have been published since that time. Probably the best known coverage is in The Catalpa Bow (1975), a comprehensive study by Carmen Blacker of shamanistic practices in Japan. Experiencing the ritual first hand, several times, I find has given me a connection that no written words can provide.

Extensive ascetic training was and continues to be undertaken by Motoshige and Doukan to perform the seminal and demanding Oza roles of nakaza (medium) and maeza (who provides vital support), respectively. Motoshige is transformed during these sessions. On the first night the deities who spoke through him were Hakkaisan, one of the main Gods of Ontakesan, and Evisuten. The words of the Gods were received by all Wani-ontakesan followers. The words were heard by all, providing a strong bond between those present. The advice to me related to the soul of my mother Edna who passed away in late December 2017. My feeling is that the intimate spiritual connection between nazaka and maeza is enhanced because of the close twin brother relationship of Motoshige and Doukan. The intensity and effectiveness of the trance and spirit possession I observed was extraordinary.

Otaki Satomiya Shrine, Mt Ontake. January 2018.

Both the Kurosawa and Otaki pilgrimage routes have a Satomiya Shrine at the base of the mountain that acts as a gateway. The stairs in the above image lead to the Otaki Satomiya Shrine where the Gods Kunitokodatai-no-mikoto, Oonamuchi-no-mikoto and Sukunahikona-no-mikoto are enshrined. The first major service on the second day of the pilgrimage was held at the Shrine, led by Yasunari Okamoto. Recitation of mantras and sutras occurred throughout the pilgrimage including chanting the Hogyo-in-Dharani as we walked. The call and response nature of that chant was invigorating and strengthened our connection to Ontakesan.

A small group of pilgrims walked the higher reaches of Mt Ontake on both days. From the left are Noritoshi Nakata, Takao Takenaka (with the black glove), Keiji Okushima, myself, Motoshige Okamoto and Doukan Okamoto. It was Keiji who introduced me to Wani-ontakesan. The friendship and support he and his wife Kaori have shown me has been immeasurable. Seiji Inagaki, who was also part of the group, took the photo.

Shintaki, Mt Ontake. January 2018.

The two kakejiku (hanging scrolls) illustrated in this post reflect the great importance of the sacred waterfalls on Mt Ontake to worshippers. Although most of the water had turned to ice, Shintaki was still flowing during our visit on the second day of the pilgrimage (image above). While walking through fresh snow was hard going at times, especially up challenging terrain (image below), the embodied energy I could feel from the waterfalls, surrounding snow-clad slopes and forest, and my fellow walkers provided much inspiration and sustenance. The mountains and nature are viewed as teachers in Shugendo. There is much to be commended in this belief.

The imposing snow covered stairs to Omata Sansya, Mt Ontake. January 2018.

Prayers at Omata Sansya, Mt Ontake. January 2018.

The final Shrine visited on the pilgrimage was Omata Sansya. In this important place the three main Gods of Mt Ontake are enshrined (image above). Doukan and Motoshige led the prayers to Ontakesan-zao-daigongen (centre God in image), Hakkaisan-daidura-jinnou (God on right) and Mikasayama-touri-tengu on the left. Doukan stated that these Gods show ourselves (Ontake), water (Hakkaisan) and fire (Mikasayama). He also said that Ontakesan-zao-daigongen can change appearance to Fudo Myoo or Marishiten at certain times. My hope is to learn more about these deities and their significance. A number of offerings were presented to the Gods before the service and collected afterwards. These included sacred branches protected in the plastic bags (shown in the above image and illustrated below), that were blessed at each sacred site we visited on the mountain.

Ancient kakejiku showing the three main Gods of Mt Ontake and Fukan. Source: Doukan Okamoto

The three main Gods of Mt Ontake are splendidly illustrated in colour across the top of the ancient kakejiku shown above. Fukan is located below them to the right of the scroll. The hanging scroll was painted by his disciple Kouzan. The prominence of the sacred waterfalls in the image is striking. The scrolls act as a window to Mt Ontake, as does the Ofuda shown below. The kakejiku and Ofuda evoke images for pilgrims of their experiences and path to spiritual enlightenment at Mt Ontake.

The Ofuda (left) and Osagiri from my winter pilgrimage on Mt Ontake.

At the end of the pilgrimage I was given one of the sacred branches blessed at each Shrine we visited on Mt Ontake (image above). The branch is called Osagiri or Tessen in Japanese. It is dedicated to meals, foods and snacks for the Gods. As described earlier, the Ofuda acts as a window to the spiritual mountain. Both the Ofuda and Osagiri will be an enduring reminder of my pilgrimage on Mt Ontake.

Late night Karaoke on the return to Wani. Winter 2018.

The Wani-ontakesan community has a strong sense of fellowship formed through the deep and shared reverence for Mt Ontake and the family ancestors. On the pilgrimage I felt very welcome and was included in all activities, including karaoke on the return bus trip (image above). It was a first for me and a lot of fun – one of many new experiences that made the pilgrimage such a transformative experience. Yes, even Karaoke can be transformative! It provided a good balance to the deep philosophical and spiritual lessons on the mountain.

Shugendo Now DVD cover.

The title of this post was inspired by the documentary ‘Shugendo Now‘ released 11 years ago. The documentary tells a compelling story and is recommended viewing. It explores how a group of modern Japanese people integrate the myriad ways mountain learning (through asceticism) interacts with urban life. The focus is on Mt Omine (south of Nara), shown on the cover of the DVD, which along with Dewa Sanzen (west of Sendai) is the location of Shugendo practice apparently best known outside of Japan.

My experience with Wani-ontakesan is a vivid example of how Shugendo is practiced more widely and diversely across Japan than may be appreciated. As well as the twice yearly pilgrimages to Mt Ontake this community of faith undertake ascetic practices on several other mountains including Mt Omine and Mt Fuji. Monthly visits are made to Fushimi-Inari in Kyoto and regular services are held at their place of worship in Wani on Lake Biwa where I have participated in services involving goma (fire) and other Shugendo rituals. For those wanting to discover more, their website and associated blog can be found here (Japanese only). The rituals and practices of Wani-ontakesan are highly syncretic, intimately related to the elements and have a deep history. Shugendo ‘now’ also encompasses the future and the past.

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Click here for a youtube video of just over 5 minutes telling the story of the Ontake faith in visual fashion, particularly the role of Kakumei and Fukan in opening the pilgrim route.

Shugendo (mountain asceticism) opportunity

October 16, 2017 / John D. / 2 Comments

Mount Haguro’s famous cedar-lined path. | photo by Kathryn Wortley

The following article from the Japan Times is notable for a number of reasons. Above all it shows how Shugendo is opening up to outsiders in dramatic fashion: rental clothing from a tourist office, and advertisements in English would have been unthinkable in times past. It can be seen partly as a response to falling numbers with a diminishing population, and partly as symptomatic of the way increased tourism in Japan, and increased spiritual tourism in particular, are having an impact on the country’s traditional practices.

It’s the feeling of Green Shinto that nature-worshipping Shugendo, despite being relatively little known in the West, provides greater opportunity for spreading internationally than Shrine Shinto, with its ties to physical buildings and the Japanese state. Though Shugendo is often associated with Buddhism, this article makes plain its strong Shinto allegiance too. In addition, the setting of Dewa Sanzan is most attractive and conducive to spiritual refreshment. Anyone looking for an enriching off-the-beaten-track experience while in Japan would be well advised to contact the links at the end of the article. (For previous Green Shinto articles on the subject, and Shugendo’s spread to the West, please see the category for Shugendo in the righthand column.)

Yamabushi: Japan’s ancient tradition of mountain ascetics opens to the public

BY KATHRYN WORTLEY. SPECIAL TO THE JAPAN TIMES OCT 13, 2017

A yamabushi in full regalia, blowing the characteristic conch horn

“It suits you,” says another hiker, pointing at my headdress. “You look cute.”
“Um, thanks,” I answer, relieved that I’m not alone in being unaware of the outfit’s significance.

Since being dressed in it, I enthused about its novelty and surprising comfort until I discovered the somber meaning behind it: these clothes are designed to resemble robes worn by the dead.

By donning the garments, my group and I have symbolically given up our worldly impurities and are now to traverse the three holy mountains of Dewa, called Dewa Sanzan, in order to be spiritually reborn. Each mountain symbolizes part of that journey: Mount Haguro, the present; Mount Gassan, the past; and Mount Yudono, the future.

This is the teaching of the yamabushi, the followers of Shugendo, an ancient ascetic religion combining aspects of mountain worship, Buddhism, Shintoism and Taoism. Critical to their beliefs is the pursuit of enlightenment through convening with nature over long periods as well as feats of endurance such as waterfall bathing and walking over fire.

Dewa Sanzan, in Yamagata Prefecture, has been an important center for yamabushi since the beginnings of Shugendo in the eighth or ninth century, although it didn’t grow in popularity as a pilgrimage route for spiritual rebirth until the Edo Period (1603-1868). To this day, each yamabushi in good health is required to make the journey.

As practitioners have begun to open up their once-private world to outsiders, an increasing number of nonbelievers are joining them, from businesspeople seeking respite from the stress of modern living to tourists and expats keen to uncover a lesser-known part of Japanese culture. And some local residents in Yamagata are working to welcome such people to Dewa Sanzan.

We start our journey at the foot of Mount Haguro, the most famous and easily accessible ascent of the three. After passing through Zuishin-mon (the Gate of Dual Deities), which marks the start of our journey to spiritual rebirth, we descend stone steps to enter a thick forest. Given the multitude of small and intricately carved wooden shrines, each home to a huge variety of deities, it’s not long before the group fans out to explore. But our yamabushi master is soon blowing his giant conch, signaling us to gather at a bright-red bridge where we see a waterfall alongside a small shrine expertly blended into the forest.

Soon, we reach the oldest pagoda in Tohoku, which is regarded as one of the most beautiful pagodas in Japan. At 30 meters tall, a single column runs through it, but each of its five individual sections is entirely independent. According to our guide, this is the reason it became the structure on which Tokyo’s famed Skytree is based.

The five-tiered pagoda on Mt Haguro

Invigorated by the sight, we begin to climb, taking the first section of the 2,446-step stone stairway to the summit in our stride. With few other hikers to disrupt the sound of bird song and the breeze rustling through the 580 cedar trees that line the path, it’s a serene experience.

Passing under the trees gives a sense of the history of this journey. Most of the cedars are between 300 and 500 years old and, for ultra-perceptive visitors, 33 hand-done engravings can be found in the steps, which are believed to have taken 13 years to build. We find one that looks like a sake cup.

Such is the beauty of the cedar-lined path that it has been dedicated a significant natural monument and awarded three stars in the Michelin Green Guide Japan.

Halfway up, we stop at a rest station that has been run by the same family for three generations. Undeterred by the challenging location, they all pitch in to carry supplies up the mountain each day. They offer green tea, sweets and a sweeping view, and their cafe is only closed in winter when snow prevents access.

At the top, we receive our Shinto yamabushi blessing, comprising chanting, bell ringing and paper swaying, at the main shrine building of Sanjin Gosaiden before descending to our lodging in Toge, the town at the foot of the mountain. For centuries, homes draped with shrine ropes have welcomed pilgrims to the region with accommodation, shōjin-ryōri(vegetarian Buddhist cuisine) and even mountain guides.

The second peak of our journey, Mount Gassen, could not be more different than the first. Though known as “the mountain on which ancestors rest,” it’s noticeably devoid of religious artifacts apart from one shrine at its midpoint and another at its summit. Passing wetlands brimming with insects and alpine plants as we snake slowly up the mountainside, it is clear that nature gets priority here.

Our path consists of two parallel wooden beams that are raised off the ground to protect the delicate ecosystem and encourage the single-file movement of hikers. As the grasses encroach on the sides, it also proves a great way to camouflage the human impact on this almost 2,000-meter peak.

A Shugendo ritual fire ceremony in which prayers are sent up in the smoke to heaven. Shugendo was banned by the Meiji Reformists in 1872 and adherents forced to choose between Shinto and Buddhism. The ban was only lifted in 1947.

That feeling of being at one with nature appeals to our yamabushi guides. Their reason for spending so much time on mountains such as this one is to let the force of nature and the natural life force in their bodies drive them forward when they encounter problems in their lives.

“We leave ourselves in nature and make peace in our minds, feeling with our body to realize our senses,” explains Fumihiro Hoshino, a 13th-generation yamabushi master at whose lodging we stayed. “With a yamabushi mindset, we can restore ourselves and rejuvenate our lives.”

Women, he says, are more gifted at prioritizing feeling over thinking than men, who tend to focus on what they can see. This, along with the general decline in yamabushi across Japan, prompted Hoshino to welcome women to learn under him. Of the fresh faces at the outings, more than half are now women, he says. Another trend is the rise in participants from Japan’s biggest cities. This comes as no surprise to Takeharu Kato, a yamabushi who left his job at marketing giant Hakuhodo to found Megurun Inc., which offers yamabushi experience programs.

Jizo in his guise as a monk at Dewa Sanzan. Deeply syncretic, yamabushi offer prayers to Buddhist and Shinto deities alike.

“Yamabushi has been used for centuries to provide space for consideration of the challenges of life, an important role in the current age where people are becoming busier and busier and are looking for the chance to revitalize,” he said. “When we train, we are no longer restricted or distracted — even our watches are removed — and we don’t speak at all. We allow ourselves to be totally open to what the master is trying to show us through the natural world.”

Kato’s assertion that Shugendo has never been so relevant is food for thought as we set off to the last leg of our journey, Mount Yudono, which is so sacred that photography is not permitted past its giant torii.

About 10 minutes’ walk up the path, we reach a small booth where the priest instructs each of us to go barefoot bearing one human-shaped fine paper cutout. Only after rubbing it over our bodies and casting it into a small stream to rid ourselves of impurities are we allowed to enter a special secluded area. In its center is a giant reddish-brown rock, which is believed to contain a deity. Hot spring water spurts out and flows down its side, into which steps have been carved. Gingerly, we climb up the soaking rock to reach a small shrine overlooking the valley, where our journey of spiritual rebirth becomes complete.

Reflecting afterward in the nearby sacred foot bath, we agree that at the very least we will leave this place feeling energized. Our journey through Dewa Sanzan, experiencing the tranquility and beauty of the three diverse mountains, and having the privilege of a glimpse at this rare part of Japanese spirituality, has left more of an impression than any of us had expected.

Fly from Haneda Airport in Tokyo to Shonai Airport, or take a shinkansen to Niigata Station before changing onto a Limited Express Inaho train to Tsuruoka Station. Three- or five-day yamabushi training experiences are available at www.yamabushi.jp. Yamabushi clothes and guides can be rented for a day from Haguro Tourist Association on Saturdays from April to October: www.hagurokanko.jp/en.

Foreign practitioner, Christian Grubl, performs a misogi rite with a shugendo group