Home - Tim Bunting

KIWI YAMABUSHI

Tim Bunting Kiwi Yamabushi

Kia ora Koutou, I'm Tim Bunting, The Kiwi Yamabushi. I am a practicing Dewa Sanzan Yamabushi Japanese mountain ascetic (What's a Yamabushi?). I have been living in Yamagata, Tohoku, north Japan, since 2010. Since 2016, I have trained as a yamabushi under Master Fumihiro Hoshino through Daishobo pilgrim's lodge on Haguro-san, and through Dewa Sanzan Jinja. If you want to find out more about how you too can train in the ways of Shugendo, check out Yamabushido.jp (tell them I sent you).

In my spare time I write stories about the overlooked side of Japan, namely up here in the Tohoku region. I write a daily blog, have a newsletter with over 1,000 subscribers, have a YouTube channel also with over 1,000 subscribers, and am on most socials as @kiwiyamabushi.

I am currently on a mission to summit and document all 100 Famous Mountains of Yamagata.

I am available for online consultation, public speaking in both English and Japanese, and I am able to guide you on The Dewa Sanzan mountains by working through Yamabushido.jp or DewaSanzan.com. As a Master Yamabushi and the creator of Dewasanzan.com, I believe I am the most knowledgable native English speaker on these three mountains.

POPULAR ARTICLES

My newsletter articles are free to read on Substack for a week, but you can just get them sent to your email for free if you subscribe. After that, they are only available to paid subscribers. However, articles that get more than 1,000 reads I put here so everyone can enjoy them. All of the articles can be found here.

I spent a week in the Japanese mountains training as an ascetic.

Here's what I learned.

black camera recorder

‘Foreigner in a Suit’ and The Beginner’s Mind

'Foreigner in a suit' and The Beginner's Mind

Dragons and how they protect my house in Japan

One major role for dragons in Japan (besides protecting my house)

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MOUNTAINS OF YAMAGATA

Here are a few posts of my adventures climbing the 100 Famous Mountains of Yamagata. Read about the project here, or view all articles here.

The Autumn Leaves of Mount Taizo

The Epitome of Autumn Leaves in North Japan: Taizo-san (Mt. Taizo)

Mount Taizo all but single-handedly confirms why autumn is by far the best season for hiking in Japan.

A Jizo statue at the top of Mt. Kyogakura in Sakata

Womb Passes and Monkey Crossings: Kyogakura-san “The Shugendo Peak of Sutras” (Mt. Kyogakura)

This tiny Shugendo peak and how the Japanese language got three alphabets

Tokami-yama and The Castle of Mist

And its role in north Japan's fiercest war

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DAILY YAMABUSHI

Here are some of my Daily Yamabushi posts. Get more here.

The mystical mountain men of Japan

Featuring The Legend of how Japan's most famous mountain man couldn't quite handle it

Yamabushi Gear Explainer: The Futodasuki Sash

The vermillion and white sash represents yin and yang, the vast cosmos and the natural world.

Tim Bunting AKA Kiwi Yamabushi on Zao-san

No Pressure Situations

No problem

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KIWI YAMABUSHI

Tim Bunting Kiwi Yamabushi

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Japanese yamabushi mountain ascetic from NZ sharing the side of Japan you never knew you wanted to know. @yamabushi.do @thedewasanzan

Crossing Mt. Gassan in winter be like… #mounta

Crossing Mt. Gassan in winter be like…

#mountains #japan #nature #tohoku #mountain #snow

6 hour solo hike on the mountains of #japan. Video

6 hour solo hike on the mountains of #japan. Video up now on YouTube.

#mountains #travel #nature #solo #solotravel #solotraveler #tohoku

Japan’s mountain of death 💀 ☠️ : Gas-san,

Japan’s mountain of death 💀 ☠️ : Gas-san, Mt. Gassan.

People climb this peak not only to pay their respects to the ancestors, but to also pray for a safe journey in the afterlife.

Believed to be the location our souls venture to when we pass, the atmosphere on Mt. Gassan depicts a version of heaven we often see in movies. A 100 Famous Mountain of Japan, Mt. Gassan is a definite must for nature lovers!

Detailed maps available free thanks to @thehokkaidocartographer as well! See timbunting.com/gassan for more.

A few of these shots were taken during @yamabushi.do experiences.

#japanhiking #hikingjapan #hiking #nature #japanoutdoors #outdoors #gassan #tohoku

Kyogakura-yama, Mt. Kyogakura, or ‘Mt. storehous

Kyogakura-yama, Mt. Kyogakura, or ‘Mt. storehouse of sutras’ is named after a pile of copies of sutras found in an earthenware pot in a very tight cave dating back at least 1,000 years. Besides this, the mountain has a clear connection to mountain worship with places like the Zazen (seated meditation) rock that looks out over the surrounding mountain range, and the ‘Tainai Kuguri’, womb pass, a common feature in sacred places throughout Japan.

Kyogakura-yama takes about an hour to summit, and has a lookout at the top with unbeatable views. It’s also right next to Juninotaki falls, one of Sakata’s most popular destinations during the height of summer.

#yamagata #japan #mountains #mountain #nature #hiking #offthebeatenpath #offthebeatentrack #offthebeatenpathtravel

You may not be able to tell from the photos (or ma

You may not be able to tell from the photos (or maybe the pit viper shows it) but Fujikura-yama, Mt. Fujikura, was not one of my favourite mountains to climb.

First, don’t climb lower mountains at the height of summer. That’s when the higher mountains are your friend.

Second, check and double check your route. You may unnecessarily be taking the long route with the even longer road there.

Third, if you see one pit viper on the way up, you better believe there will be another on the way down (true story).

Fourth, don’t wear shorts, even with skins, in and around water in the middle of forests. That’s where leaches live.

Fifth, well, I guess that’s about it. Enjoy the mountain while you can!

See timbunting.com/fujikura for more.

#mountains #nature #yamagata #japantravel #hiking #japanhiking #japantrip #tohoku

Atsumi Onsen is a popular hot spring town on the e

Atsumi Onsen is a popular hot spring town on the edge of the Sea of Japan that I was always jealous of because the people there could just pour snow into the drains and it would melt. Besides their superior methods of getting rid of the copious amounts of snow we get here in Yamagata, most, if not all, visitors to these parts seem completely oblivious that within five or so minutes from the town centre they could be in one of the most glorious waterfall wonderlands known to man.

While Atsumi-dake is a hike worthy of the mountain’s history as a mountain of nature worship (including abandoned pilgrim’s lodge), the waterfalls are only a short stone’s throw away, making for a great escape especially in the summer heat.

Https://www.timbunting.com/atsumi

What a place to stumble upon; hidden shrines, the

What a place to stumble upon; hidden shrines, the world’s smallest dragonfly, leaches, and pit vipers to boot.

We (I) were lucky / stupid enough to come across a hidden shrine on Kumanonaga-mine, Mt. Kumanonagamine (try saying that fast ten times) that we wouldn’t have gotten to hadn’t I taken the wrong turn when trying to get to the trailhead. Instead we found this mystical shrine, and what I think was the out-of-commission former trail up the mountain. We didn’t know that when we started climbing, of course.
Naturally, we followed what looked like the trail, and you know what? We actually made it to the summit, barely. After clambering up and cutting our way through some thick and steep bush for what felt like an eon.

The view from the summit was very nice indeed, but it came with the begging question, how were we going to get back to our car?

Help came from the oddest of places, as you’ll see in today’s article here:
https://timbunting.com/mountains/kumanonagamine/

#mountains #japan #japanesemountains #japaneseculture #hiddengems #hiddenshrine #shrine #secretgarden

Shoga-dake, Mt. Shogadake, was a real highlight of

Shoga-dake, Mt. Shogadake, was a real highlight of last year. This peak lies to the west of Mt. Chokai’s summit and is famous for its Nikkokisuge Day Lilies, bright yellowey-orange flowers, as well as some flowers native to Mt. Chokai like the Chokai thistle. You can reach Shoga-dake (relatively) easily from Mt. Chokai’s crater lake (a nice little detour), or do what I did and climb up from the lesser-trodden Odaira trailhead. Both trails guarantee amazing vistas over the Sea of Japan, as well as northern Yamagata, and southern Akita prefectures.

Read more at https://www.timbunting.com/shogadake

#mountains #sacred #mountain #rareflowers #flowers #japan #japantravel #offthebeatenpath

This mountain is called ‘Japan’. I’m not e

This mountain is called ‘Japan’.

I’m not even lying.

Nihon-Koku, Mt. Nihonkoku, is a mountain on the borders of Yamagata and Niigata that in the past actually was Japan. Which is to say, anywhere north of here wasn’t. Anywhere north of here was ruled by tribes of Emishi, native Japanese peoples, and was not part of the Japan ruled by the Yamato in Asuka, Nara prefecture.

There are a few other frankly weird theories as to the name of this mountain, like one that involves a Shogun and falcon, you can read about here:

https://timbunting.com/mountains/nihonkoku/

#weirdjapan #japan #japantravel #tohoku #yamagata #mountains

Haguro-san is by far my most visited mountain. In

Haguro-san is by far my most visited mountain. In fact, I’m there right now. There’s too much to cover for this mountain, I have already written a few thousand unpublished words about it, so I think I’ll leave it with the five story pagoda for now.

The current five story pagoda is a rebuild, only this rebuild is more than 650 years old. The original was built in 938 by samurai Taira no Masakado, and was designed to blend in with its surroundings. No paint or varnish was used in its construction, nor were nails, yet it still stands to this day. Such is the mastery of Japanese craftsmanship, and in fact one key point of the pagoda’s architecture was used in Tokyo Sky Tree, the central pillar used to counteract the many earthquakes Japan gets.

Whereas five story pagoda are generally built in a prominent location within temple complexes, this one is located at the base of the mountain in the middle of a forest. What’s up with that? Well, Haguro-san had its own journey of rebirth, and the location of this five story pagoda represents the fifth month of gestation along that journey. In other words, making it here is a definite achievement, but you’re only just past halfway. You can be a little proud of your achievements here, but with the knowledge that you still have a large chunk of the journey to go.

Learn more about Haguro-san with my article at https://www.timbunting.com/haguro.

#offthebeatenpath #offtheneatentrack #japan #offthebeatenpathjapan #tohoku #yamagata #japanhistory #japanculture

Takadate-yama, Mt. Takadate, is probably most famo

Takadate-yama, Mt. Takadate, is probably most famous for its RAMSAR wetlands, the Kami-ike and Shimo-ike lakes. These lakes welcome in all manner of rare birds and wildlife to a small mountain just a stone’s throw away from central Tsuruoka City. There is also a lookout tower at the summit, and the mountain is blessed with tons and tons of sakura trees which makes it a great spot for a family picnic or even a date.

See https://www.timbunting.com/takadate for my hiking guide.

#hiking #mountains #sakura #japanhiking #mountain #ruraljapan

Arakura-Yama, Mt. Arakura, has its trailhead in th

Arakura-Yama, Mt. Arakura, has its trailhead in the tiny port town of Yura along Yamagata’s coast on The Sea of Japan. If you go a little after the cherry blossoms bloom in the local parks, you can enjoy a mountain covered with mountain Sakura. Arakura Jinja is a real highlight, a mysterious shrine tucked into the mountains. Oh, and did I mention the view? Time it right and you get one of the best views of Yura, and even Chokai-san and Gassan.

See http://timbunting.com/arakura for more.

#mountains #nature #yamagata #japan #sakura #hiking #hikingjapan #japanhiking

Kinbo-zan, Mt. Kinbo was where I did my first @yam

Kinbo-zan, Mt. Kinbo was where I did my first @yamabushi.do Yamabushi training in 2017. It was also the first mountain I climbed for my 100 Famous Mountains of Yamagata project. Both in the middle of winter (which isn’t normal, who said I was normal?).

The 471m tall peak is small enough that you can do that, which may explain the deep history of spiritual pilgrimages here. I’d recommend Kinbo-zan to anyone who has hiked Haguro-san. The two are very similar in height, but have different histories and plenty of side trails to explore too.

Learn more at timbunting.com/kinbo.

#japantravel #offthebeatenpath #offthebeatentrack #japantrip #yamagata #tohoku

A weird day of rain but with Mt. Chokai still very

A weird day of rain but with Mt. Chokai still very much visible. Ominous.

#mountains #mountain #nature #rain #powerofnature #naturelovers

Mt. Haguro right now. #dewasanzan #hagurosan #ya

Mt. Haguro right now.

#dewasanzan #hagurosan #yamabushi #japan #snow #snowjapan

It’s amazing what you can find on the streets of

It’s amazing what you can find on the streets of Japan, like this wooden desk wanting to get back to its roots.

#japan #japanstreet #japanwalk #walkjapan #streetsofjapan #japanstreets

Absolute scenes from Yudono-san on Saturday. The r

Absolute scenes from Yudono-san on Saturday. The real Yudono-san can only be climbed in winter. But you knew that already because you read my post, right? Right!?

Https://www.timbunting.com/yudono

#japan #japantravel #japansnow #snowyjapan #dewasanzan #yudonosan

Post no bills. About the only functioning thing

Post no bills.

About the only functioning thing around here it seems.

#smalltownjapan #japanretro #retro #retrojapan #ruraljapan #japanpost

The dream. A Kei van and an old building to keep y

The dream. A Kei van and an old building to keep you company.

#ruraljapan #smalltownjapan #keitruck #keicar #sakata #yamagata

The humble vending machine. Available at every cor

The humble vending machine. Available at every corner, in every kind of weather. #japan #japanlife #japanphoto #japanfocus

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The WILD legend of Mist Castle, the story behind Tokami-yama
https://youtu.be/NZV1NgoHM9g

Tokami-yama in Yamagata City free hiking guide and maps:
https://www.timbunting.com/mountains/tokami

Kiwi Yamabushi Newsletter:
https://timbunting.com/newsletter

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Sakata City, Yamagata, Japan

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All photos my own unless otherwise stated. Contact for more.