Home - Tim Bunting

TIM BUNTING

KIWI YAMABUSHI

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.

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.

ALL

DAILY YAMABUSHI

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

It’s Better to Share

If you live alone, it's hard to get the motivation to cook or make something special that takes a bit of effort. I'm about to head back home to my family, and my mindset has shifted from last week when I was cooking for myself to all the things I can make now that it's […]

Learn by Doing, Learn by Living

It’s not very often that we are impacted by the way someone lives rather than what they say. Too often we use words to try and convince people to act a certain way, yet we all know that actions speak louder than words. If you really want to make a change for the better, you […]

For the Benefit of the Audience

From what I've witnessed in Japan, it appears that there isn't much consideration for the audience in many different places; service industry, schools, presentations, etc. It's more as if the person is doing it for their own sake, not for the benefit of the audience. Whenever I make something, anything, I always consider how the […]