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“Sokushinbutsu”: Japan’s Buddhist Mummies

  • “Sokushinbutsu”: Japan’s Buddhist Mummies
  • The sokushinbutsu Bukkai Shōnin at the temple Kannonji in Murakami, Niigata Prefecture.

    The sokushinbutsu Bukkai Shōnin at the temple Kannonji in Murakami, Niigata Prefecture.

  • The main hall at Kannonji.

    The main hall at Kannonji.

  • The five-storied pagoda on Tendai-affiliated Mount Haguro. Registered a National Treasure, it is the oldest such structure in the Tōhoku region. (© Pixta)

    The five-storied pagoda on Tendai-affiliated Mount Haguro. Registered a National Treasure, it is the oldest such structure in the Tōhoku region. (© Pixta)

  • Stone stellae like this one dedicated to Tetsumonkai Shōnin were put up to commemorate an issei gyōnin who had completed a 1,000-day seclusion.

    Stone stellae like this one dedicated to Tetsumonkai Shōnin were put up to commemorate an issei gyōnin who had completed a 1,000-day seclusion.

  • A portrait of Tetsumonkai Shōnin. Issei gyōnin were distinct in that they did not shave their heads like Buddhist monks and shunned the yuigesa sash of the region’s shūgensha Buddhists. (© Sugihara Takeo)

    A portrait of Tetsumonkai Shōnin. Issei gyōnin were distinct in that they did not shave their heads like Buddhist monks and shunned the yuigesa sash of the region’s shūgensha Buddhists. (© Sugihara Takeo)

  • The main hall of Chūrenji. (© DEGAM Tsuruoka Tourism Bureau)

    The main hall of Chūrenji. (© DEGAM Tsuruoka Tourism Bureau)

  • The hall at Honmyōji housing the sokushinbutsu Honmyōkai Shōnin.

    The hall at Honmyōji housing the sokushinbutsu Honmyōkai Shōnin.

  • Shinnyokai Shōnin, the sokushinbutsu of Dainichibō. (© DEGAM Tsuruoka Tourism Bureau)

    Shinnyokai Shōnin, the sokushinbutsu of Dainichibō. (© DEGAM Tsuruoka Tourism Bureau)

  • The main hall of Dainichibō. (© Pixta)

    The main hall of Dainichibō. (© Pixta)

  • Priests at Dainichibō change the robes of sokushinbutsu Shinnyokai Shōnin. The ceremony takes place every year of the ox, according to the 12-year zodiac cycle. The old garments are cut up and given to people in attendance as talismans. (© DEGAM Tsuruoka Tourism Bureau)

    Priests at Dainichibō change the robes of sokushinbutsu Shinnyokai Shōnin. The ceremony takes place every year of the ox, according to the 12-year zodiac cycle. The old garments are cut up and given to people in attendance as talismans. (© DEGAM Tsuruoka Tourism Bureau)

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