For more than 1,400 years, Yamabushi monks have been walking Japan's sacred mountains, believing that this harsh natural environment can bring enlightenment.
Japan s mountain ascetic hermits For more than 1,400 years, Yamabushi monks have been walking Japan s sacred mountains, believing that this harsh natural environment can bring enlightenment.
In an ancient forest of towering cedars, all was silence except for the chirping of unseen birds. Suddenly I heard the tinkling of a bell. Through the mist, a dozen figures emerged, walking in single file. Led by the Tolkienian figure of a man with a long grey beard, they looked like ghosts, dressed all in white.
They were Yamabushi: Japanese mountain worshippers. For more than 1,400 years, centuries before anyone spoke of forest bathing , Yamabushi monks have been walking the sacred mountains of Dewa Sanzan (literally, the Three Mountains of Dewa Province ) in Yamagata Prefecture. But theirs is no pleasure hike. Through immersion in nature and rigorous self-discipline, the Yamabushi seek spiritual rebirth.