When I gaze upon the mountains that surround us here in the Shonai region, I’m teleported to the mountaintop. I sense the cool wind and chilly fog that encapsulates. I picture the alpine flowers and grasses that blow in the wind, the stony paths and the shrines dedicated to the Kami. Mountains represent solace. Mountains …
Last year in May, I set about climbing Mt. Haguro from the lesser-known Haguro Kodo side in Shonai Town. It was a really unique way to experience one of the most sacred mountains there is, and I spent more than a few hours putting together a 20 minute video of the experience. However, while we …
Your whole life is a form of training, a training that follows a ‘do’, a way or path.
Found something you could do non-stop for hours? Found something you get lost in?
In any situation, at any given moment, remember you have the choice.
Turning points may be triggered by something big, an event, an accident, or perhaps something small such as a short reflection.
Seeing a 15m tall Torii gate covered in snow, and then having freshly-cooked soup and a hearty lunch underneath it is just plain fun, and a great way to get into the great outdoors, and to really get refreshed. But there’s a bit more to it than that. The past couple of days and weeks …
For starters, the only way to really understand what a yamabushi is, is to become one yourself. However, I understand this isn’t exactly practical for most people, so I will give a rudimentary introduction of my understanding of the yamabushi from my perspective as a Dewa Sanzan Shrine Yamabushi. It’s also important to note that …
What is a Yamabushi? The ancient mountain dwellers of Japan Read More »
I’m just helping to make a pamphlet for the Dewa Sanzan. It’s amazing how much my knowledge has changed over the years, not that it increased much, but that it got more accurate. Yamabushi culture is traditionally only passed down through word of mouth, it took a lot to convince Master Hoshino to have his …
Just allow it: The Dewa Sanzan Mountains of Rebirth Read More »
Although I know I am in an unusual situation, a Kiwi Yamabushi living in rural Japan, I really don’t think I am unusual. Rather, I think it’s the situation I find myself in that is the unusual thing. I was listening to Master Hoshino talk yesterday, and he said that he doesn’t actively go after …
