TIM BUNTING

KIWI YAMABUSHI

KIWI YAMABUSHI

Tim Bunting Kiwi Yamabushi
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Kia ora koutou. I’m Tim Bunting, the Kiwi Yamabushi.

I’m a practicing Dewa Sanzan Yamabushi, a Japanese mountain ascetic based in Yamagata Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. Since 2016, I’ve trained in Haguro Shugendō under Master Fumihiro Hoshino through Daishobō, a pilgrim’s lodge on Haguro-san, and through Dewa Sanzan Jinja.


If you’re interested in experiencing Shugendō for yourself, check out Yamabushido.jp. Tell them I sent you.


In my spare time, I share stories from the overlooked corners of Japan, especially here in Tōhoku. I publish a Substack newsletter with over 1,500 subscribers, write a daily blog, and post videos on YouTube (over 1,000 subscribers). You’ll find me on most platforms as @kiwiyamabushi.

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

I’m available for:

  • Online consultation
  • Public speaking (in English or Japanese)
  • Guided experiences on the Dewa Sanzan (via Yamabushidō.jp or DewaSanzan.com)

As a Master Yamabushi and the creator of DewaSanzan.com, I believe I’m the most knowledgeable native English speaker on these sacred mountains.

POPULAR ARTICLES

My Substack newsletter articles are free to read 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.

Can you believe this is *not* Tokyo?

Well, can you?

sushi on brown wooden board
The Best Sushi in Japan

And the red man who lead us to it

The real star of Japanese cuisine

How this humble plant made it to the top of my list of Japanese foods

ALL

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.

How NOT to climb a mountain in winter

Forget Hakuba. Forget Hokkaido. White-Boy Mountain is where it’s at. 

Mt. Chokai
The best Fuji alternative: Chokai-san

Dewa Fuji, The Fuji of The North, Chokai-san, Mt. Chokai: Tallest peak entirely in Tohoku often said to resemble Mt. Fuji, leading to the name Dewa Fuji (after the former province of Dewa).

THIS. IS. YAMAGARTA: Japan’s 300 Moment. 

How this tiny peak turned feudal Japan’s biggest battle on its head

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DAILY YAMABUSHI

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

Go in prepared

Go in ready

Chip Away

Bit by bit

Contradiction is key

It helps you make the decision

ALL

KIWI YAMABUSHI

Tim Bunting Kiwi Yamabushi

Get updates from the mountains of Japan in your email for free! Sign up for the Kiwi Yamabushi newsletter here.

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Why do Japanese almost never use Sayonara casually? What if you use Ohayogozaimasu at night? Does “ikimashō” really mean let’s go? Find out in the video. Original article: 👉 https://timbunting.com/sayonara/ Kiwi Yamabushi Newsletter: Get deep dives into life in rural Japan, Shugendō, and Yamabushi training straight to your inbox: 👉 https://kiwiyamabushi.com ✨ Paid subscribers get early access! This video was released a week earlier for paid newsletter subscribers. If you’d like to support my work (and get early access + exclusive content), consider upgrading here: 👉https://www.kiwiyamabushi.com/ 💬 Have you ever accidentally used sayonara in the wrong situation? Or heard it used in a surprising way? Share your story in the comments! #Sayonara #JapaneseLanguage #JapanTravel #LearnJapanese Image credits: https://www.irasutoya.com/ 3/100
What does being spirited away actually mean in Japanese culture? Who did the kidnapping? What do people do to protect themselves from being spirited away? Original article: 👉 https://www.timbunting.com/spirited-away Kiwi Yamabushi Newsletter: Get deep dives into life in rural Japan, Shugendō, and Yamabushi training straight to your inbox: 👉 https://kiwiyamabushi.com ✨ Paid subscribers get early access! This video was released a week earlier for paid newsletter subscribers. If you’d like to support my work (and get early access + exclusive content), consider upgrading here: 👉 https://www.kiwiyamabushi.com/ 💬 Which part of Spirited Away felt the most like real Japan to you? Drop it in the comments! #SpiritedAway #StudioGhibli #JapanTravel #HiddenJapan #Yamabushi #Shugendo #JapaneseCulture #GhibliInRealLife Image credits: Wild speed super combo zel-8bit.hatenablog.com Basu otoko from amazon.co.jp Kurama Tengu By Tsukioka Kogyo - Katalog, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=82296611 Kurama Tengu By Kōgyo Tsukioka - https://www2.ntj.jac.go.jp/dglib/collections/view_detail_nougaku_doc?division=collections&class=nougaku_doc&type=music&ikana=くらまてんぐ&ititle=鞍馬天狗&istart=0&iselect=く&mid=123&seq=0&trace=result&trace=detail&did=200769, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=109785917 Ame onna By Utagawa Yoshiiku - Scanned from ISBN 9784336049452, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5487276 Minamoto no Yoshitsune By Unknown author - Collection of Chusonji Temple, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4106635 Yamanba By Sawaki Suushi (佐脇嵩之, Japanese, *1707, †1772) - scanned from ISBN 4-3360-4187-3., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5509397 Yokai By Kyosai Kawanabe (河鍋 暁斎) - Met Museum (Metropolitan Museum of Art) - https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/78669, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=633769 Yokai 2 By Tsukioka Yoshitoshi - Publico.es [1], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=624451 2/100
Why is Jizo-san EVERYWHERE in Japan? Spend even a tiny amount of time in Japan, and you’ll notice a strange yet comforting figure on roadsides, mountain trails, and even graveyards. Red bib, little cap, kind face, sometimes surrounded by piles of stones, this is Jizo Bodhisattva, known in Japanese as Ojizo-sama, or Jizo-san for short. Who is Jizo-san? Why is he all over Japan? Why does he protect travelers? Why do Japanese people stack stones on mountains? What’s up with the baby clothing? Original article: 👉 https://www.timbunting.com/jizo Kiwi Yamabushi Newsletter: Get deep dives into life in rural Japan, Shugendō, and Yamabushi life straight to your inbox: 👉 https://kiwiyamabushi.com ✨ Paid subscribers get early access! This video was released a week earlier for paid newsletter subscribers. If you’d like to support my work (and get early access + exclusive content), consider upgrading here: 👉 https://www.kiwiyamabushi.com/ What’s the most memorable Jizo you’ve seen in Japan? Drop it in the comments! Timestamps 00:00 Intro 00:45 Who is Jizo-san? 02:10 The Six Realms of Buddhist cosmology 03:40 Jizo and the children of the Sanzu River 05:15 Why red bibs and caps? 06:00 Final thoughts #Jizo #JapaneseCulture #JapanTravel #JapaneseBuddhism #OjizoSama #Shugendo #JapaneseFolklore Image credits: Dosojin By Yanajin33 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32192510 Datsue-baWolfgangMichel - 投稿者自身による著作物, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=７４４３２１３５による Sanzu River By Tosa Mitsunobu - scanned from ISBN 4-6206-0578-6., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5552743 Yama, the Lord of Death, holding the Wheel of Life Wellcome See page for author, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons 1/100
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Sakata City, Yamagata, Japan 

timb008@gmail.com

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

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