ascetics in the mountains of Japan

In the ancient forest with towering cedars, all was silent except for the invisible sound of birds chirping.Suddenly I heard the sound of the bells. From behind the fog, a dozen figures appeared, walking in a line.

Led by the figure of a Tolkienian man with a long gray beard, they looked like ghosts, dressed all in white.

They are the Yamabushi: Japanese mountain worshipers.
For more than 1,400 years, centuries ago before anyone spoke of "forest bathing", Yamabushi monks had walked the sacred mountains of Dewa Sanzan (translated as, "Three Mountains of Dewa province") in Yamagata Prefecture.

But their journey was not a very pleasant hike. Through union with nature and strict self-discipline, Yamabushi seeks spiritual rebirth.
Yamagata is located in Tohoku, the northernmost region of the Japanese island of Honshu.

Most of Tohoku is isolated, full of mountain ranges, and prone to the heaviest snowfall in Japan.

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This is the land described by haiku poet Matsuo Basho in his book Narrow Road to the Deep North (1689).

The sacred or sacred status of these three mountains - Mount Haguro, Mount Gassan and Mount Yudono - dates back to AD 593 when Prince Hachiko fled the Japanese capital, Kyoto after the assassination of his father, Emperor Sushun.

Prince Shotoku, the Emperor's nephew, advised Hachiko to flee to Mount Haguro, where it was said that he would meet Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy.

Prince Hachiko built a shrine on each of the three peaks so that the mountain gods would remain there, thus ensuring the peace and prosperity of the region.

Shugendo is a Yamabushi religion. "Historically, Yamabushi lived in the higher mountains of Japan.

"They spent years in the mountains," explained the Bunting Team, the Yamabushido Project Leader and Assistant Yamabushi Experts.

"For example, a Yamabushi who undertakes austerities to become a Sokushinbutsu (Living Buddha) must spend at least 1,000 days in the mountains."

The process of self-mummification involves long periods of heavy fasting, and the practice was banned more than 100 years ago during the Meiji era (1868-1912).
Currently, there are about 6,000 Yamabushi in Japan. They believed that training the Shugendo hermit in a harsh mountainous natural environment could bring enlightenment.

Entering the "otherworld" of the mountains symbolizes the death of their worldly self, "which is why they wear white robes, or shiroshozoku, which are traditionally used to dress the dead," explained Yamabushi Kazuhiro, Yamabushi trainer and guide at Dewa Sanzan.

In order to become a certified Yamabushi, one must complete the Akinomine Autumn Peak Ritual for a week.

The true nature of the ritual is secret, but it is known to include activities such as meditation under waterfalls, walking at night, and visiting places where the gods reside in the mountains and pray to them.

After that, how long and how often they walked on the mountain depends on each individual.

"Most Yamabushi Dewa Sanzan at least repeat the Akinomine Peak Autumn Ritual every year. Some do their own training," said Bunting.
Through the union in these mountains, they became one with the mountain spirit and reappeared from the enlightened mountains.

"By walking we are born again. We rejuvenate our lives," said Master Yoshino, a 13th generation Yamabushi priest, now in his 70s, and head of the Haguro Yamabushi.

Dewa Sanzan became a popular place of pilgrimage some 1,400 years ago, according to Kazuhiro, "after Prince Hachiko helped end a plague that devastated the local farming community".

After 100 days in exile praying for an end to the plague, the prince has a vision that orders him to make a great fire.

He shared his vision with the people, who then built a huge demon statue and set it on fire.

And miraculously, the plague ended.

During the Edo Period (1603-1868), pilgrimages to Dewa Sanzan were known as a way to restore youthful spirits.

Samurai warriors are also among those who come to train here, and the ascent is known as the Journey of Rebirth.
The name Prince Hachiko is still used in times of crisis.

In May 2020, a special fire festival will be held at the Dewa Sanzan shrine to pray for the Covid-19 pandemic to end.

"We hope to borrow the strength of our founder Prince Hachiko and support people's sense of exhaustion during the coronavirus pandemic," a priest told local newspaper Shonai Nippo.