Hiking with the Yamabushi Mountain Monks of Yamagata
A Radiophonic Travel Agency adventure
Last week I shared a work of mine - Haguro Shugendō - which featured sound recordings made during my time visiting the Yamabushi monks of Mt. Haguro, Yamagata prefecture, in the north of Japan.
Shortly after the release of this soundscape, which featured on a compilation exploring field recordings and wider acoustic ecology in Japan (Fieldwave Vol.2 by Nonclassical), an opportunity came about to feature some further recordings as part of interactive sound experience proposed by the Radiophonic Travel Agency — a wonderfully immersive library of sonic voyages by sound recordists and adventurers curated by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
You can listen to the audio only version above via Spotify ⬆
Or check out the interactive version here
Revisiting these sounds inspired me to write a few words, and to dive deeper into that time I passed in the mountain forests of Haguro. To share with you not only some of the extraordinary sounds that I recorded there, but also the people and the stories that I was so fortunate to encounter too…
Yamagata lies on the Western coast of Tohoku, the northernmost region of Japan's Honshu island. Much of Tohoku is isolated, mountainous and wild. It is the land that master poet Matsuo Bashō described so eloquently in his haiku collection — Narrow Road to the Deep North (1689).
In the utter darkness
Of a moonless night,
A powerful wind embraces
The ancient cedar trees.
Yamabushi are Japanese mountain ascetic hermits — practitioners of Shugendō, an ancient belief with its origins in 8th Century Japan. It is a fusion of Shinto, Buddhism, Animism, and mountain spirituality. A path that encourages immersion in nature and rigorous self-discipline, followers seek spiritual rebirth away the excesses of the world, seeking understanding from acknowledgement of the power and strength that lies hidden in the natural world.
The word yamabushi itself comes from Yama meaning mountain, and fushi or fuseru, meaning to promulgate, or to be on all fours. A rather unusual combination of phrases… but one that reflects the profound attachment, devotion and symbiosis that Yamabushi share with their surroundings. Loyal guardians of the mountain, their distinctive white robes, shiroshozoku, tinkle and glisten, adorned with ancient instruments as they wander freely, performing ceremonies and offering prayers to their deities of the spirit world.
Yamabushi walking through the forest of Mt Haguro. We can hear the tinkling bells of their mochisuzu bells (蟋蟀) carried by each Yamabushi as part of their ceremonial dress. We hear also the distinct sound of wooden walking sticks known as kongojo (金剛杖) clawing at the ancient stone steps of Mt. Haguro.
If you are interested in finding out more about Yamabushi culture I highly, highly recommend you check out .
Tim is an incredible individual, Yamabushi and resident in Japan who shares his insights, travels and experiences via :
So back in the Summer of 2019, I flew to Japan to embark on a ten week recording trip as part of a field project commissioned by The British Library Sound Archive.
My project sought to explore the relationship that exists between sound and spirituality in Japanese culture. Documenting present day practices, rituals, performances and interactions with Japanese artists, festivals, folk culture and sacred spaces. The trip would take me from head to toe across Japan’s islands - from the snowy streets of Sapporo in Hokkaido, all the way down to the lush mountain forests of Kumamoto on Kyushu Island.
My adventures with the Yamabushi began through an introduction to a man called Takeharo Kato. We had been discussing my project via messages, and I had asked if it would be possible to visit during an upcoming period of Yamabushi initiation training. At first, understandably a little puzzled by my request to just record sounds, and no video or interviews, just a fly on the wall with a microphone, I was invited and granted access to stay at one of the most revered pilgrim lodges in the region - Daishobo - in the small village of Haguromachi Touge at the foot of the great Mt. Haguro.
Arriving from Tokyo after an exhaustive combination of train and bus rides which really tested my map reading and Japanese bus timetable navigation skills, I arrived to be greeted discreetly by the family of Master Fumihiro Hoshino — a great Yamabushi elder who has dedicated his life to leading training here in the Dewa Sanzan region.
I recall arriving very haggard, hot and a little disorientated! I had certainly never been anywhere quite like the remote hills of Yamagata where, after some very curious glances as I sat resting on the veranda, I was kindly offered some refreshing cool tea and lead upstairs to a small box room where I was told to wait patiently for further instruction.
It had been raining and the sound of cicadas drowned out the surrounding forest. The humidity was intense. I felt confined, isolated and a little alien.
The melancholic song of the higurashi evening cicada, comforted me in this strange moment…
The sounds from my window as I arrived at Daishobo Lodge. The intensity of the cicadas singing in a Japanese Summer is something that strikes you immediately, though soon fades to become a soothing presence. Here we can hear the melodic song of the higurashi cicada - a distinctive, melancholy song often heard at dusk.
After what seemed like hours, Takeharo arrived to greet me and inform me of the very strict conditions I had to adhere to during my stay. I would be able to record sound only when summoned, and I was forbidden to interact with anyone else other than him!
Yamabushi training must be conducted in silence for the entire duration. No phones, no watches, no brushing teeth, shaving, reading or writing are permitted. I was permitted only the use of my recording equipment, but told to take extreme care to not be invasive with my actions. I was handed a bag with some bottles of water and a small supply of banana protein bars and told I’d be collected at dinner time for the evening ceremony.
As the night fell, I tiptoed downstairs, taking great care to install myself at the back of the main hall to sit, observe and record the Yamabushi gather for an evening meditation…
Yamabushi chanting at Daishobo Lodge. Master Hoshino accompanies the chanting with his shakujo (錫杖) a long wooden staff with metallic cymbals attached used to control the rhythm of the readings of the texts and sutra. The soft evensong of field crickets (kōrogi) can be heard in the background.
The next morning I woke and early and decided to take a hike to wander the forests of Mt. Haguro for the first time. Upon entering the great Zuishin gate, the wonder of the mountain begins to reveal itself. I think of the opening scene of Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away in which the main character Chihiro begins, unbeknownst to her, a passage into another realm - one that she comes to realise as a realm of the spirits.
Descending the first few steps, ancient stone shrines appear nestled beneath great cedars - sharing many centuries between them. A soundscape rich with cicadas, birds and insects is cushioned by the soft, trickling current of the Haraigawa river. I stop and admire the beauty of jijisugi — the Grandpa Cedar tree thought to be both the oldest and tallest tree here in the ancient forest at over 1000 years of age, and 43m in height.
Turning on my microphones, I stop and listen…
The beautiful soundscape of the Mt. Haguro forest standing in front of the ancient Grandpa cedar tree known as jijisugi (爺杉). The flow of the Haraigawa river can be heard amongst the evening chorus of the various forest wildlife including the evening cicada known as higurashi (茅蜩), and the large brown cicada abura-zemi (油蝉).
That evening as night falls, I return to the forest. This time following a procession of white robed Yamabushi as they embark on a nocturnal hike through the forest.
Master Hoshino proudly leads us deep into the forest, intermittently stopping to initiate the reciting of sacred sutras — devotions offered to communicate with the deities of the forest. The great conch he holds around his neck - a horagai [法螺貝] - is blown, signalling the presence of the Yamabushi here to the surrounding spirits.
Suspended there beneath the stars, the Yamabushi began to sing…
Yamabushi chanting in the Mt. Haguro forest at night. We hear the sound of the horagai [法螺貝] conch accompanied by his furisuzu (振鈴) - a handheld percussive instrument used to keep rhythm.
For me, this experience was as enchanting as it was esoteric.
I had been shown a world that I knew very little of. As the training came to an end, I felt a welcome sense of warmth from the Yamabushi towards me. I could see that their efforts had been strenuous and intense — seeking spiritual purification is certainly not light work!
As the mysticism receded, and the Yamabushi returned to the world of the present, their robes returned and their silences broken — I was invited to stay and dine with them. A traditional home cooked meal called shojin ryori, which translates as devotion cuisine, is an ancient cuisine found on the Dewa Sanzan Mountains developed by the Yamabushi with a history dating back over 1,400 years from when these sacred mountains were first discovered.
I can tell you that after a diet consisting of nothing but water and banana protein bars — it tasted out of this world!!
“Put yourself in nature, and the unclear will become clear.'”
— Master Fumihiro Hoshino
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Mat
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