Mountain asceticism alive today: Kumano journey refreshes body, mind
by Masahira Ueno / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer January 28, 2014
NARA—Deep in the Kii mountain range, the sounds of horagai triton shell horns echo around Sho no Iwaya, … Read the rest
This is the second part of an interview with Christian Grübl, a qualified Yamabushi monk who is introducing Shugendo to Austria. (For the first part, click here.)
Personally, as someone who spent childhood holidays at Wolfgangsee in the … Read the rest
Shugendo (mountain asceticism) used to be one of Japan’s best-kept secrets, mainly because it was banned by the Meiji ideologues in 1872 and not made legal again until 1942. That it survived is testimony to its robustness and to … Read the rest
PAGAN’S DELIGHT
For a neo-pagan, Japan is a magical treasure-house of sacred sites and power spots. Many date back to prehistoric times, their origins obscured by a mist thicker even than that of ancient Avalon. There are swords here … Read the rest
One World Heritage listed shrine I haven’t been able to visit yet is the remote Tamaki Shrine in Totsukawa, Nara prefecture. It lies on the Omine Okugakemichi, one of the pilgrimage routes registered in the Kii Mountain site, and is … Read the rest
Green Shinto is very proud to present the following piece of original research by Shinto priestess Pat Ormsby. As is evident from the article, she is personally familiar with the ancient pilgrimage routes, which in modern times have fallen … Read the rest
It seems there’s a boom in mountain asceticism. This month’s Kansai Scene had a piece on experiencing shugendo (see here). This morning Japan Today writes of a three-day programme on Mount Mitake, about an hour from Tokyo by train. … Read the rest
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