TIM BUNTING

KIWI YAMABUSHI

山伏

Tim Bunting Kiwi Yamabushi on Mt. Gassan

キウイ

DAILY YAMABUSHI


Give yourself the benefit of the doubt

March 23, 2025

And take it easy

A fighting chance

March 22, 2025

Two on ones

Defining yourself

March 21, 2025

Defining your current moment

The mystical mountain men of Japan

March 20, 2025

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

Yamabushi Gear Explainer: The Futodasuki Sash

March 20, 2025

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

No Pressure Situations

March 20, 2025

No problem

While you will.

March 19, 2025

While you can.

FEATURE ARTICLES

Here are a few samples of what you find in my newsletter, Mountains of Wisdom.

A Jizo statue at the top of Mt. Kyogakura in Sakata
Uketamo: the philosophy to live by

Uketamo has a long, long history.

Mongols, Kamikaze, and a mountain in northern Japan

The Legend of Haguro-san's Bell Tower

My Love Affair with North Japan’s Tallest Peak

Chokai-san: The Sparkling Gem in Tohoku's Eye

fire and charcoal with black background
Cucumber Horses and Eggplant Cows

The one Japanese custom the world needs

Yukidaruma: The Japanese Art of Always Building Snowmen With Two Balls Instead of Three Because Why Waste Your Time and Energy?

You had me at 'Japanese art'.

Mt. Haguro's Five Story Pagoda
Japan’s Most Popular Destination You’ve Never Heard Of

The pilgrim's lodge village of Toge on Haguro-san

Mt. Chokai
Falling for the Gaijin Trap Trap

That is not a typo. Everyone has to fall in sometime...

The Curse of Yamagata’s Mountains

Watch the view. Or maybe don't.

Mt. Chokai above the sea of Japan
Emperor on a Boat Day

Or 'Marine Day'. If you really want.

The Town of Dual Dragons

And the legends they created.

The Deep Meaning Behind Tea Ceremony’s Most Famous Concept

Ichigo Ichie - One moment, one meeting. One chance in a lifetime.

What does The Last Samurai have to with Japan’s Silk Industry?

Quite a lot, actually.

Japan is in the year 2683?

I asked the proprietor when the original temple was built.

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

Here's what I learned.

Biscuit Day: Why Do Japanese Cars (and Appliances) Talk So Much?

Why February 28 Is Biscuit Day (And What Your Japanese Car Has to Say About It)

MOUNTAINS OF YAMAGATA

Here are a few posts of my adventures climbing the 100 Famous Mountains of Yamagata.

A Ryokan (traditional Japanese Inn) at Semi Onsen Hot Spring Resort
Turtles, Tigers, and a Legendary Japanese Character: Kamewari-yama (Mt. Kamewari)

Legendary location next to a quaint Onsen (hot spring) resort along the Oguni River in Mogami Town

The sun sets over the ninth station of Mt. Gassan
Gassan, the Dewa Sanzan’s “Mountain of Death” (Mt. Gassan)

The tallest Dewa Sanzan peak with a thriving Haguro Shugendo Yamabushi culture.

Mt. Haguro's Five Story Pagoda
Why This Tiny Mountain MUST be on Your Japan Itinerary: Haguro-san

Home to Haguro Shugendo and the Dewa Sanzan Yamabushi mountain monks

Mt. Yudono Shrine Gates during the autumn
The Dewa Sanzan’s Mountain of Rebirth: Yudono-san (Mt. Yudono)

Yudono-san is the final Dewa Sanzan peak in the middle of Yamagata Prefecture that has been a central destination for millions over the centuries

Bananas and Cokes, Leaches and Pit Vipers

How a group of elderly Japanese men saved our arses

Sign on the Nakanomata Trail up Mt. Nihonkoku
This is How I Conquered Japan!

How to conquer Japan in 60 short minutes

Hiking Japan’s Forgotten Highway: Sabane-yama and Ushu-Kaido (Mt. Sabane)

The odd connection between Osaka castle, the Shinkansen and Shinjuku, and the mountains of Yamagata.

Mt. Yamuki (Yamuki-yama) in Shinjo City
The Medieval Castle and Mighty River of Yamuki-yama (Mt. Yamuki)

Tiny peak that was home to a medieval castle along the banks of the mighty Mogami River.

Zao-san and Why We Climb Mountains (Mt. Zao)

Zao-san: Snow monsters, ski fields, mountain hags, multi-coloured crater lakes, hot springs, and more.

How NOT to climb a mountain in winter

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

Sanze village near Mt. Fujikura surrounded by green mountains and the blue Sea of Japan can be seen through the trees in the distance through the trees of Mt. Fujikura
Sanze’s Little Helper: Fantastic Fujikura-yama (Mt. Fujikura)

Fun little peak in the tiny fishing village of Sanze, Tsuruoka City

Mt. Ubagatake in autumn
The Widow’s Peak: Ubaga-take (Mt. Ubagatake) of North Japan

Must-see autumn alpine dreamland between the two tallest Dewa Sanzan peaks with a twisted backstory

Close Encounters of the Tengu Kind

(Murayama) Tengu-yama is a 403-m high peak in Nishikawa town that is home to a Tengu, a yokai or supernatural being.

The Heavenly Hideaway of Daizumori-yama

The best effort / reward ratio in Yamagata. Bar none.

Mother. Hunter. Mountain. Hokari-yama (Mt. Hokari)

Kinbo Shugen Mountain with a strange name and amazing trails amongst the autumn leaves

Yamabushi

Here are some blog posts about yamabushi.

bhikkhu book boy buddhism
Tim Bunting Kiwi Yamabushi looks out over Mt. Chokai from Mt. Gassan
sunset men sunrise jogging
YAMABUSHI

Random Posts

Tim Bunting AKA Kiwi Yamabushi on Zao-san
red flower on white sand

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