Sokushinbutsu of Dainichi Temple, Tsuruoka, Japan

Sokushinbutsu of Dainichi Temple, Tsuruoka, Japan 

In addition to the three sacred mountains and their shrines, the Dewa Sanzan area in Yamagata Prefecture is home to two interesting temples: Dainichibo and Churenji . These two temples are the sites of sokushinbutsu, men who transformed their own bodies into mummies while still living. Their mummified bodies are on display in Dainichibo and Churenji, close to Yudono-san.

Shugendo is a religion based on mountain worship that combines practices and tenets of both Buddhism and Shinto. Physical and mental endurance of the elements is an important part of Shugendo. Self-mummification is the most extreme form of this endurance and those monks who succeeded at the practice are now revered as Buddhas.

The technicalities of self-mummification are staggering; by one method, monks endure three 1000 day periods of dietary restriction, intense physical activity and meditation. For the first thousand days, they ate only mountain vegetables, while continuing to practice the physical hardships of Shugendo training. For the second 1000 day period, the diet was restricted even further to just bark and roots.

Epic Japan Culture & Adventure Route © Monika Newbound