Yamabushi

Yamabushi (山伏, one who prostrates himself on the mountain) are Japanese mountain ascetic hermits.[1] They are generally part of the syncretic shugendō religion, which includes Tantric Buddhist, Shinto, and Japanese Taoist elements.[2]

Their origins can be traced back to the solitary Yama-bito and some hijiri (聖) (saints or holy persons) of the eighth and ninth centuries.[3]

According to author Frederik L. Schodt:

These positively medieval-looking nature worshipers carry metal staves and conch shells and wear straw sandals and sometimes a hemp cloth over-robe with the Heart Sutra written on it. They follow a mixture of esoteric or tantric Buddhism mixed with Shinto, the native animistic religion of Japan.[4]

Appearance of the Yamabushi
Appearance of Yamabushi. They wear yuigesa, kyahan, and tokin. They hold a shakujō in their hands, and they blow the horagai to prevent evil spirits

Yamabushi usually wear and bring the following clothes and items with them:[5][6][7]

  • Yuigesa (結袈裟), a harness or sash adorned with pom-poms.
  • Kyahan (脚絆), sandals made from straw.
  • Tokin (頭巾) which is a small hat-like adornment worn at the front of the head.
  • Shakujō (錫杖), a metal rod, held in their hands.
  • Oi (笈), backpack.
  • Horagai (法螺貝), a conch shell, which they blow like a horn.

See also

Further reading
  • Ratti, Oscar; Westbrook, Adele (1999). Secrets of the Samurai: A Survey of the Martial Arts of Feudal Japan. Edison, New Jersey: Castle Books. ISBN 0785810730.
  • Powell, Steve John; Cabello, Angeles Marin (May 12, 2021). "Japan's Mountain Ascetic Hermits". British Broadcasting Corporation.

References
  1. Nelson, Andrew Nathaniel (1995). The Original Modern Reader's Japanese-English Character Dictionary (Classic ed.). Rutland, Vermont: C. E. Tuttle Co. pp. 134, 346. ISBN 9780804819657.
  2. "Exoteric Buddhism, Esoteric Buddhism, and Shugendo - 顕教・密教・修験道". www.tendai-jimon.jp. Tendaijimon Sect. Archived from the original on 2020-12-21. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  3. Blacker, Carmen (1999). The Catalpa Bow: A Study of Shamanistic Practices in Japan (3rd ed.). Richmond, Virginia: Japan Library. pp. 165–167. ISBN 1873410859.
  4. Schodt, Frederik L. (2020). My Heart Sutra. Berkeley (Ca): Stone Bridge Press. ISBN 978-1-61172-062-4.
  5. (ja) Kotobanc Yamabushi
  6. https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20210511-japans-mountain-ascetic-hermits
  7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zKJWR-V3GI&ab_channel=OkuJapan
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