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122 Chapter 5 Yamabushi, or Mountain Priests, and Other Religions In this religion vows are made to pass quickly and without hindrance into the other world, or to attain a place of particular eminence in the heavenly plains, but also simply to resolve a special matter of concern to one’s satisfaction. The former is done by entering an order of hermits, whose religious are called yamabushi; the latter is achieved by a vow to the gods to perform some act of penance of one’s own choosing and visit certain temples for a set period of time. Yamabushi means (but the character does not clearly indicate this meaning) a mountain soldier,1 because, according to the founding rules of the order, they must fight for the gods and lands of their ancestors if required. In reality they are religious and hermits who disdain worldly pleasures to reach the everlasting and are committed to castigating their bodies by climbing sacred mountains and frequent washing in cold water. Those who are rich live in their own houses. The poor wander around the roads begging, especially in the province of Suruga, near the high mountain Fuji, which they climb in the sixth month as an act of penance. Others agree to serve at a miya, but these are usually so poorly endowed that they can hardly support a person. Their first teacher, ancestor, and founder lived more than one thousand years ago and is called En no gyōja, a person about whose birth, parents, and friends nothing was ever known.2 He also died without children or descendants. He was the first hermit wandering in the wilderness to castigate his body, and with the knowledge he gained, he discovered and marked many routes through this country. His followers are divided into two orders. The first, Tōzanha, adheres to the climbing of Hikozan, a terribly steep mountain in the province of Buzen, right between Buzen and Chikuzen. The mountain is climbed under the greatest danger over several days and is such that anybody climbing it without preparing himself and being fujō will be possessed by the fox (the devil) and go raving mad. The other order, Honzanha, makes its pilgrimage to the grave of their founder on a mountain in the province of Yoshino which is called Ōmine, meaning “the great mountain peak,” on account of its height. It is supposed to be extremely cold and, owing to its sheer heights, no less dangerous to climb. A visitor who has not cleansed his body and heart will meet the misfortune of crashing down, being smashed to pieces, or, if he manages to avoid this, he will be subjected to punishment throughout his life in the form of illness or another serious affliction. Every member of this order must conduct this pilgrimage once yearly. Those climbing the mountain must prepare themselves well by abstinence from sexual intercourse, forbidden foods, and everything else that pollutes, as well as by washing themselves in ice-cold water several times daily. While climbing the mountain they must make do with eating wild roots and leaves from the mountain. Chapter 5: Yamabushi and Other Religions 123 After the pilgrimage has been concluded successfully, everybody visits the prelate of their order, who lives in Miyako, and presents him with a certain sum of money, which those who are poor have to obtain by begging. In return he receives a higher title or rank, involving also some changes in dress, which determines the amount of respect he receives from his brotherhood. All this is nearly identical to the ranks and manner of the Society of the Blind.3 The religious of this order wear secular dress according to the custom of the country, but in accordance with the rules of their order wear various ornaments, each with its own name, meaning, and historical explanation. Wakizashi, or sword of Fudō, worn in the belt on the left, a little shorter than the katana,4 but also blunt on the underside. Shakujō, or the little staff of the god Jizō, with a copper plate with four rings on top, with which they make a noise when pronouncing certain words in their prayers. Hora no kai, a conch shell, twisted like a snail’s shell; it is white and smooth with red spots, delicate lines, and beautifully worked by nature, of quite some size: most probably big enough to contain half a liter of water. (They are found near some cliffs...

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