These Monks Did What Exactly?
The Living Buddha or Buddha Mummies of Yudono-san: Mountains of Wisdom Newsletter
Mountains of Yamagata Shorts
I’ve started creating one-minute shorts highlighting the best points about all the mountains I’ve been climbing in Yamagata. I’m also cross-posting on Instagram and TikTok by the way.
Watch the latest video on the pyramids of Japan here, or:
Meeting Donny Kimball
It’s not every day you get to bump shoulders with one of Japan’s perennial bloggers. On Monday, I had the chance to meet up with an old friend Donny Kimball. Donny was in town for an event introducing Haguro-san and the Dewa Sanzan, connecting with Ryotaro of AbroadinJapan fame, who was introducing the Shimanami Kaido cycling route in Shikoku.
Donny’s on a mission to connect overseas travellers with hidden gems in Japan that they would love if only they knew that they existed. Be sure to check his stuff out if you haven’t already. He also has an extremely popular Instagram account, and has been building a community-based account here.
(Content warning, this gets a bit gruesome)
Donny and I went to check out Kaiko-ji Temple and The Sanno Club here in Sakata City. Kaiko-ji is famous for having two Sokushinbutsu, which we call Living Buddha or Buddha Mummies in English. If you’ve ever been to Koya-san, or basically anywhere in Japan for that matter, you probably would have heard of Kobo Daishi AKA Kukai. Well, Kukai is said to be eternally resting in his mausoleum in Koya-san, as he was able to successfully became a Sokushinbutsu.
In this region, Sokushinbutsu are monks who undertook training in the austerities, including eating only tree roots and bark, in and around Yudono-san for years on end. When the time was right, they buried themselves in a small hole. Then the monk chanted sutras while ringing a bell.
Once the ringing stopped, the hole was shut.
333 days later, the monks were lifted out. If they were successful, their bodies remained intact (many hundreds failed and are buried under the Torii gates of Yudono-san shrine apparently).
It was believed that by doing this, the monks could reach enlightenment while also leaving behind a trace of Buddhahood in the current world. In this way, they could prove the existence of Buddhahood, and as such provide salvation for the people.
Kaiko-ji Temple is but one of a number of temples in Yamagata Prefecture (primarily The Shonai Region), as well as Niigata and even Fukushima Prefectures, to hold Sokushinbutsu. I’m not going to lie, seeing them firsthand is quite harrowing at first, but when you understand what they were getting at, and also what the people in the temple have to say, it is all rather peaceful.
If this doesn’t freak you out, it’s one of the top things I’d recommend doing in Japan.
The nearby Sanno Club is another interesting spot, especially for people who love traditional crafts, but I think I’ll leave it that for later.
What I’m Reading
Speaking about content creators, is any Japanophile not reading Craig Mod? One of my favourite claims to fame is that I actually met the guy. He is, as you’d expect, one cool dude.
Plus, it turns out we had a mutual (yamabushi at that!) friend too. Well, that part I knew from reading Kissa by Kissa: How to Walk Japan, but Craig’s work really gets to the true nitty gritty side of Japan.
The side of Japan I love.
Craig was one of the (the only?) reasons why Morioka of all places was voted #2 on the New York Times’ 52 places to travel in 2023 (paywall). Of course I wish he had mentioned Sakata, the place we met, and my favourite cafe in Sakata, Kissa Cloak (try the matcha terrine, you’ll see what I mean). Either way, he’s doing a phenomenal job of putting the side of Japan that I know and love on the map. A side that truly deserves it by the way.
For an intimate look at this side of Japan, from the lens of who is truly one of the best writers in Japan, sign up for his current project TOKIO TŌKYŌ TOKYO (Sorry, I sort of missed the boat on this, you only have three days left, but sign up for his other newsletters so you know when he’s back for more!).
What I’m Writing (Week of January 13 to 19, 2023)
Here are my posts for this week. Which ones really stand out? Let me know in the comments!
Anxiety or regret? Why you should focus on the current moment
How to deal with regrets and anxieties Shugendo-style
It’s hard to focus on anything but the current moment when you’re faced with a snowbank a couple hundred metres long.
Build Stick-to-itiveness With This Ancient Japanese Philosophy
The purpose of the process isn’t to reach the goal. The purpose of the goal is to get you into the process.
- My friend’s teacher.
Use The Uketamo Mindset to Take Charge
The powerful Japanese mountain concept of Uketamo
The Haguro Yamabushi concept of Uketamo is a powerful philosophy. Uketamo has the power to change you instantly from a victim, to someone in charge of their feelings.
One Advantage of Daily Disciplines
Use this the next time you’re not feeling up to it
Being able to switch on when you have to is not an easy thing all the time. Being able to switch on when you actively don’t want to is a whole other story.
When Taking Your Time is The Best Thing You Can Do
A lesson from yamabushi (mountain ascetic) training
During yamabushi training, we are often awoken by the sound of the conch. Often in the middle of the night, and often very abruptly.
Struggling with big numbers in Japanese? This trick never fails
Instantly remember big numbers in Asian Languages.
Works the other way around too.
Freedom Through Restriction
Why you Need to Delete Instagram and Twitter
It may seem counterintuitive, but when done right, restrictions can in fact be very freeing.
That’s it for this week
Let me know what you enjoyed, and what you didn’t. I’ll try and get more of the good stuff out to you.
As always, feel free to unsubscribe if this isn’t what you’re after. If it is, and you think someone else would enjoy it, please consider sharing it with them!
Ka kite ano.
Tim.
P.S. For Japanese Speakers / Learners
Last year we had a popular Instagrammer, and also very good friend of Donny and fellow member of the Daikon Cult, join our yamabushi trainings. True to form, it changed her life. Before I even met her I knew she was special. Cheeserland, or Cheesie as we know her, was so engrossed in the world of the yamabushi she had read Master Hoshino’s book (Japanese, sorry) and memorised The Heart Sutra (which I talk about in this video), like we suggest, before she had even come.
That’s dedication.
It seems that her and Master Hoshino also got along very well. So well, in fact, they’re having a talk session in Tokyo next week. If you speak Japanese, be sure to check it out!
Get tickets here (Japanese), or read about the event here (also Japanese).