Yamagata Prefecture's "Sokushinbutsu" and Yudonosan's "Reincarnation Belief"

A mummified monk. Even though their life ends, their form remains forever, watching over people.

At the end of their training, monks willingly choose to eat only nuts and wild vegetables, reducing the amount of fat in their bodies to the limit. When they reach the end of their life, they enter a stone chamber and fast until they reach their final moments

This is the most rigorous form of ascetic training, lasting between 1,000 and 5,000 days. Finally, after entering a stone chamber, the body is exhumed three years and three months later and enshrined as a mummified Buddha

It is believed that many mummified monks were enshrined throughout Japan, but due to various factors such as immature preservation techniques and grave robbery, their numbers have drastically decreased, andas of 2022, only 18 have been confirmed.

*The photo at the top is of the self-mummified monk Komyokai of Kokoin Temple. ©Shirataka Town

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What is the difference between a self-mummified monk and a mummy?

Let me briefly touch upon the relationship between Sokushinbutsu and mummies. Sokushinbutsu are understood to be people who, of their own volition, create a body that will not decay and then enter into meditation (end their own life), while mummies are those whose internal organs have been removed by others after death, and who have been embalmed and dried

Mummies also exist in Japan, with the four generations of the Oshu Fujiwara clan, who rest in the Konjikido (Golden Hall) of Chuson-ji Temple (Hiraizumi Town, Iwate Prefecture), being well-known

The word "mummy" is a Japanese word and is not understood internationally. The most likely explanation is that it originated from a reading of "mirra," which was used as a preservative in Portugal during the Edo period

In English, a mummy is called a "mummy." The spelling is exactly the same as "mother," and it's still used in the UK (whereas in the US it's "mommy"). The reason for this is unknown

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Temples in Yamagata Prefecture where self-mummified monks are enshrined

In Yamagata Prefecture, eight statues are officially enshrined, mainly in temples associated with Yudono-san (nine if one unconfirmed statue is included)

The Dewa Sanzan ( Three Mountains of Dewa) consist of three peaks : Hagurosan, where one prays for happiness in this life; Gassan, where one prays for peace and salvation after death; and Yudonosan, where one prays for rebirth. In particular, the Yudonosan faith , which prays for eternal life, has produced many mummified monks.

Within the prefecture, there are six temples that house and display mummified monks: Shimenji, Dainichibo, Honmyoji, Nangakuji, Kaikoji, and Kurakoin, as well as Myojuin, which is privately owned

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Yudonosan Churenji Temple, where the sokushinbutsu of Tetsumonkai is enshrined

Templeis a Shingon Buddhist temple founded in 825 by Kōbō Daishi. At the time, women were forbidden from visiting Yudono-san, so the temple was built as a place where women could worship.

Many high-ranking monks trained at Shimenji Temple and became mummified monks, and six of their bodies are enshrined at Shimenji Temple, Honmyoji Temple, Nangakuji Temple, Kaikoji Temple (2 bodies), and Kannonji Temple (Murakami City, Niigata Prefecture)

Chūrenji Temple houses the mummified body of Tetsumonkai Shōnin, who entered nirvana in 1830

Shimenji Temple isthe 31st templeon the "Shonai Thirty-Three Kannon Pilgrimage," and the Kannon Hall (Kodenya) houses the Shikimiba Shokannon Bodhisattva Standing Statue, a hidden incense Buddha (a Kannon statue about 3 inches [approximately 9 cm] tall made by writing a name on a shikimi leaf, grinding it into powder, and mixing it with incense and lacquer).

In 2009, the temple and the mummified monk Tetsumon Kaishonin were awarded two stars (★★) in the "Michelin Green Guide Japan," a travel guide published by Michelin, as "worth visiting," while the ceiling paintings and the crocodile-shaped bronze bell (one of the largest in Japan, with a diameter of 5 shaku 5 sun [approximately 165 cm] and a weight of 100 kanme [approximately 375 kg]) were awarded one star (★).

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Yudonosan Sohonji Temple, where the self-mummified monk Shinnyokai is enshrined, is the main temple of the temple, Rakusui-ji Dainichibo

Dainichibois a Shingon Buddhist temple founded by Kobo Daishi in 807, andthe head temple of the four temples of Yudono-san.

Like Shimenji Temple, Yudono-san was a mountain where women were forbidden to enter, so this temple was founded as a place where women could worship

The mummified monk enshrined here is Shinnyokai Shonin, who entered intoeternal meditationand is said to have undergone 70 years of ascetic training before becoming a mummified monk.

The principal image is a hidden Buddha statue, the Taikonryobu Dainichi Nyorai (Yudonosan Daigongen), which is said to have been created by Kobo Daishi himself. In addition, the gilded bronze standing statue of Shakyamuni Buddha is designated as a National Important Cultural Property

Dainichibo isthe 9th templeon the "Shonai Thirty-Three Kannon Pilgrimage," and its Kannon Hall houses 100 Kannon statues, including 100 transformed Kannon statues, which were gifted by the Sakai family, the lords of the Shonai domain, about 400 years ago.

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Honmyoji Temple on Mount Fudo, where the self-mummified monk Honmyōkai is enshrined

Templeis a Shingon Buddhist temple founded in 1592 by Shingetsu Shonin.

Honmyokai Shonin , who is enshrined as a mummified Buddha , trained at Churenji Temple and later entered Honmyoji Temple.

He began his training to become a living Buddha in 1673, and entered into eternal meditation at Honmyoji Temple in 1683 at the age of 96

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Nangakuji Temple, the mountain where the sokushinbutsu of Tetsuryukai Shonin is enshrined

Nangakuji Templeis a branch temple of Shimenji Temple and was founded as a training and prayer hall for Yudono-san. Due to repeated fires and other events, the exact date of its founding is unknown.

Nangakuji Temple has a history of being completely reduced to ashes in 1956 (Showa 31) when a fire that started at a neighboring house spread to the temple grounds

However, the main image of Buddha andthe mummified bodyof Tetsuryukai Shonin escaped destruction by fire, and in 1973 (Showa 48), they were moved to their current location and the main hall was rebuilt.

Nangakuji Temple has the "Chonan Toshie Mausoleum," which enshrines Chonan Toshie , a psychic from the Meiji era

Toshie Chonan was arrested and put on trial for fraud, having allegedly used her false psychic abilities to perform medical procedures. However, she is known for the anecdote that she actually displayed psychic abilities during the trial and was acquitted

Nangakuji Templethe 29th templeon the "Shonai Thirty-Three Kannon Pilgrimage.

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Sunatakayama Kaikoji Temple where the self-mummified monks Chukai and Enmyokai are enshrined

Templeis a Shingon Buddhist temple said to have been founded by Kobo Daishi 1,200 years ago, and was originally a branch temple of Shimenji Temple.

The Sokubutsu-do hall houses two statues: one of Chūkai Shōnin, who entered nirvana in 1755, and the other of Enmyōkai Shōnin, who entered nirvana in 1822

Kaikoji Temple is the only temple in Japan that houses two mummified monks

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Zokoin Temple, where the self-mummified body of the monk Komyokai is enshrined

Kurakoinis a Soto Zen Buddhist temple located in Shirataka-machi, Okitama region, in the inland part of Yamagata Prefecture, a little distance from the Dewa Sanzan mountains. It was founded in 1588.

mummifiedbody of the monk Kōmyōkai Shōnin is enshrined here.

Kōmyōkai Shōnin, who was an ascetic at Yudono-san, underwent training to become a living Buddha and entered into meditation at Kōkōin in 1854

"Dig it up after 100 years,"the tomb was excavated in 1978 (Showa 53). The Shirataka Town Board of Education, with the cooperation of the national government and Niigata University School of Medicine, conducted an academic investigation, and the body was enshrined as a mummified monk.

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Kameizan Myojuin Temple, where the self-mummified body of Myokai Shonin is enshrined

Myojuin is a temple located in a private residence in Yonezawa City, and the statue of Meikai Shonin enshrined there is the only privately owned mummified monk in Japan .

The hall is open to the public on the 5th of every month

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Shoozan Joshin-an Temple, where the self-mummified body of a nun is said to be enshrined

Joshian , located in Yonezawa City , is a temple where Sato Masanobu, the uncle of the Sato brothers Tsugunobu and Tadanobu, who were retainers of Minamoto no Yoshitsune, and others are enshrined.

A mummified body (some believe it to be a mummified body) believed to be that of Baishinni , the mother of the Sato brothers , was unearthed from the temple grounds, and a stupa was erected on top of it.

Because it is unconfirmed, it is not included among the existing mummified monks

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