Yamabushi

Short description: Japanese mountain ascetic hermits

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 American writer 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]

## Contents

* 1 Clothing and items
* 2 See also
* 3 Further reading
* 4 References

## Clothing and items

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 to bind evil spirits

## See also

* Cunning folk
* Mount Ōfuna
* Shaolin Monastery
* Yama-bito
* Yamabushitake

## 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. https://archive.org/details/secretsofsamurai00osca_0.
* Powell, Steve John; Cabello, Angeles Marin (May 12, 2021). "Japan's Mountain Ascetic Hermits". British Broadcasting Corporation. http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20210511-japans-mountain-ascetic-hermits.

## 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". Tendaijimon Sect. http://www.tendai-jimon.jp/trainee/index.html. 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. ↑ 小項目事典,世界大百科事典内言及, 日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ),百科事典マイペディア,旺文社日本史事典 三訂版,デジタル大辞泉,事典・日本の観光資源,世界大百科事典 第２版,ブリタニカ国際大百科事典. "山伏(やまぶし)とは？ 意味や使い方" (in ja). https://kotobank.jp/word/山伏-144308.
6. ↑ Cabello, Steve John Powell & Angeles Marin. "Japan's mountain ascetic hermits" (in en). https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20210511-japans-mountain-ascetic-hermits.
7. ↑ (in en) Yamabushi Ascetic Monk, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zKJWR-V3GI, retrieved 2023-06-02

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