Walking the Path of Awareness: Lessons from a Yamabushi Monk

Yamabushi (one who worships on the mountain) are monks shrouded in mystery who follow shugendo, a heady mix of an esoteric form of Buddhism and native Shinto practices. By virtue of their struggles navigating the sacred mountains they search for spiritual enlightenment through asceticism. Above all else, shugendo is a philosophy and study of nature, immersing yourself fully in the surrounding environment using all of your senses to feel and reflect on those perceptions. 

The yamabushi walk the mountains to absorb the knowledge of nature and mantras that can be found by following sacred paths. Self denial and trials of endurance are also part of what hones their connection to their spirituality. Not only do they endure gruelling treks through the mountains, but also hours meditating beneath baltic waterfalls and leaping through treacherous flames. Through denying themselves and deeply entangling with nature, the yamabushi grow closer and closer to spiritual rebirth.

Mt. Kosuge in Iiyama is one of shugendo’s most sacred mountains, where the yamabushi have trained for hundreds of years. Follow their footsteps and hike with Koichi Ushida (fondly called Shida-san), a modern-day yamabushi, through the sacred, cedar-lined forest trail to Kosuge Shrine. Shida-san imparts not only his knowledge of the mountains, but also the lessons that walking these peaks has taught him. The world we inhabit is a living thing – and plenty of proof of that can be found in the Kosuge Village area. Guests are grateful for the beauty of nature and their hearts are moved as they feel the spirits of the gods who live on the mountain. 

We invite you to immerse yourself in the mystic world of Japanese mountain monks in this unique experience, hiking a pilgrimage trail through the lush mountains of Nagano. By learning about this region through the eyes of a yamabushi, you are able truly taste the essence of what makes it special. While visitors won’t have the years of training under their belt required to even hope for enlightenment, walking the yamabushi trails allows one to disconnect from the stresses of the modern world and reconnect with oneself.