thumb| practitioners (Shugenja) in the mountains of [[Kumano, Mie (Kōshō Tateishi)]]

thumb|upright|Statue of [[En no Gyōja, the founder of . Kamakura period, c. 1300–1375, Kimbell Art Museum.]]

thumb|upright|Stairs on the way to [[Ōminesan-ji, the holy site of ']]

thumb|upright|[[Acala|Fudō Myōō silk scroll from Daigo-ji (Kyoto), a major Shingon temple and site]]

thumb|upright|Zaō Gongen, a key deity in , in [[Kinpusen-ji Temple]]

The mountains where is practiced are all over Japan, and can span multiple mountains within one range such as the Ōmine mountain range with Mount Hakkyō and Mount Ōmine or the Ishizuchisan mountain range with Kamegamori and Tengudake.

The worldview includes a large pantheon of deities (which include Buddhist and Shinto figures). Some of the most important figures are the tantric Buddhist figures of Fudō Myōō and Dainichi Nyorai.

History

evolved during the seventh century from an amalgamation of beliefs, philosophies, doctrines and ritual systems drawn from local folk-religious practices, Shinto mountain worship and Buddhism. The seventh-century ascetic and mystic En no Gyōja is widely considered as the patriarch of , having first organized as a doctrine. literally means "the path of training and testing" or "the way to spiritual power through discipline." Some practitioners were said to be descendants of the Kōya Hijiri monks of the eighth and ninth centuries.

From the ninth century, elements of Vajrayana Buddhism such as Shingon and Tendai Buddhism were taken into and it developed further.

The Meiji government, which erected a barrier between Shinto and Buddhism, ruled that was unacceptable because of its amalgamation of the two religions, and officially forbade it in 1872. With the advent of religious freedom in Japan after World War II, was revived.

In 1907, and his team successfully climbed Mount Tsurugi, which was regarded as the last unclimbed mountain in Japan. However, they found a metal cane decoration and a sword on the top of the mountain, and it turned out that someone had reached the top before them. A later scientific investigation revealed that the metal cane decoration and sword dated from the late Nara period to the early Heian period and that shugenja had climbed Mount Tsurugi more than 1,000 years ago.

The Ōmine mountain range, which stretches 100 km from north to south and connects Yoshino and Kumano, was historically the biggest practice place of . The highest peak of the Ōmine mountain range is Mount Hakkyō at an altitude of 1915 m, and there are 75 places for ascetic practices along the mountain trail, and Ōminesan-ji Temple at the top of Mount Ōmine at an altitude of 1719 m is considered to be the highest sacred site of . At present, the Ōmine mountain range is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site "Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range" and Yoshino-Kumano National Park. Hitoshi describes the main worldview which informs praxis as one which:

<blockquote>assumes the existence of at least two realms of existence, that of the daily lives of human beings, and a separate, supernatural spiritual realm behind, and which controls that of the daily lives of human beings. The mountains are seen either as a sacred space which is part of both of these worlds, or is seen to actually be a part of the spiritual world. The altar space during the fire ceremony, or the area of a matsuri, is also considered to be this kind of sacred space.

  • Mount Ōmine 大峰山 is a major pilgrimage site that caters to multiple sects and one of Japan's Seven Holy Mountains. Primary temple: Ominesan-ji Temple 大峰山寺 which is managed by both the Shingon and Tendai based traditions at different times annually.
  • Mount Kinpusen 金峯山 is home to the Shugen-shu sect. Its primary temples is Kinpusen-ji Temple 金峯山寺. The mountain is associated with the deity Kongō Zaō Gongen 金剛蔵王権現.
  • Ishizuchisan 石鎚山 one of Japan's Seven Holy Mountains consists of three primary mountains for training. Principal deities Ishizuchi Kongo Zaō Dai Gongen 石鎚金剛蔵王大権現, Acala, Rāgarāja, Kangiten, and Hōkibō Daitengu 法起坊大天狗. Primary temple: Gokurakuji 極楽寺, home of the Ishizuchisan Shingon and Shugendo sect..
  • Mount Kongō 金剛山 is home to the Katsuragi Shugen school of . Its primary temple is Tenporin-ji 転法輪寺. The mountain is associated with the deity Hōki Daibosatsu 法起大菩薩.
  • Mount Haku: One of Japan's Seven Holy Mountains including Gozenpō 御前峰, Ōnanjimine 大汝峰, Bessan 別山, Kengamine 剣ヶ峰, Ōkurayama 大倉山, and Sannomine 三ノ峰 peaks.
  • Sanyama-sama 三山様: the three mountains of Dewa Sanzan 出羽三山, which are Mount Haguro 羽黒山, Mount Gassan 月山, Mount Yudono 湯殿山 and are associated with Avalokiteśvāra, Amitābha, Mahāvairocana. Primary temple: Hagurosan Kōtakuji Shōzenin 羽黒山荒沢寺正善院.
  • Mount Minō 箕面山 (suburbs to the north of Osaka city)
  • Shōgoin of the Honzan Shugen-shu sect located in Kyōto city. Associated with the deity Acala.
  • Takisanji Temple 滝山寺 (Tendai Sect) in Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture
  • Mount Ontake (also called Kiso Ontake, overlooking the Kiso Valley in Aichi Prefecture)
  • Mount Mitoku (Mitokusan) Sanbutsu-ji Temple 三徳山三仏寺 in Tottori Prefecture

<gallery mode="packed" heights="160px">

Yamabushi-Omini-Okugakemichi-Yoshino.jpg|Yamabushi on the Ōmine Okugakemichi near Yoshino (Japan)

Ascetic-Waterfall-Practice-Shipporyu-ji (Osaka Prefecture).jpg|Ascetic waterfall exercise supervised by a monk at Shippōryū-ji Temple (七宝瀧寺)

Yamabushi.jpg|Contemporary yamabushi

Mount Kongo(Kongosanchi) Syugenja2.jpg|Mount Kongo (Kongosanchi) shugenja

</gallery>

See also

  • Konpira Gongen
  • Kaihōgyō
  • Mikkyō
  • Milarepa
  • Mount Hatsuka
  • Mount Hiei
  • Mount Ōfuna
  • Mount Ōmine
  • Onmyōdō
  • Sokushinbutsu

Citations

General and cited references

  • Website for head temple Shōgoin
  • Website for head temple Kinpusenji
  • Website for head temple Gokurakuji
  • Website for head temple Daigoji
  • Head Temple Takao-san Yakuo-in Central Training Center in Kanto
  • A Look at Japanese Ascetic Practice
  • 天台寺門宗｜修験道
  • Shugen: The Autumn Peak of Haguro Shugendo
  • Mount Fuji and Shugendo
  • Shugendo article in Buddhism & Shinto in Japan: A-to-Z Photo Dictionary of Japanese Religious Sculpture & Art
  • Shugendo – History of Japan Database