Shugendou
Shugendo is a unique Japanese religion and belief system that was established in ancient Japan by mixing elements of Buddhism (esoteric Buddhism) and Taoism (kujikiri) with mountain worship. The purpose is to attain enlightenment through rigorous ascetic practices in the mountains. Shugendo is sometimes described as a branch of Buddhism (esoteric Buddhism). Shugendo practitioners are called "shugenja" or "yamabushi. Shugendo practiced asceticism in the mountains that were considered "sacred mountains," such as Omine (Nara Prefecture) and Hakusan (Ishikawa Prefecture), which had been the object of ancient Japanese mountain worship. Among them, the belief in Kumano Sanzan (three mountains in Kumano) flourished during the mid to late Heian period (794-1185) with many aristocrats, including emperors, paying homage to these mountains.
Shugendo is a Shinto/Buddhist syncretism faith, in which both Japanese deities and Buddhist Buddhas (Nyorai, Bodhisattvas, and Myoo) are worshipped. Forms of expression include the deity such as gongen (a deity in which a god or Buddha appears in a temporary form) and oji (a place where rituals are performed on the way to the temple). ---
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