Yamabushi Ascetic Monk

Shugendo, literally "the path of training to achieve spiritual powers" is a synthesis of mountain worship, esoteric Buddhism and Shinto. The religion's Yamabushi, an ascetic monk or a mountain priest, is considered to have supernatural powers.

In this video, we interviewed Ueno-San, a Yamabushi ascetic monk, who explains what it really means to be a Yamabushi.

"The literal translation of Yamabushi is ‘Yama’, meaning mountain, and ‘Bushi’ meaning “bowing down”. So a Yamabushi is a mountain priest or a novice."

You can spend a half day hiking with this Yamabushi ascetic monk and find out about the tough physical training these remarkable individuals undergo in the mountains.