Sounds from my Archive (#1)
Forest Chanting with the Yamabushi Mountain Monks of Yamagata
Today I’m excited to launch a new feature to this platform where I’ll be selecting a recording from my archive and sharing with you the tale of its coming into being…
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Recording of Yamabushi chanting in the forest of Mt. Haguro. We hear the sacred sound of the Horagai [法螺貝] conch - blown to signal the protective presence of the Yamabushi to the surrounding spirits of the forest.
This recording was made in August 2019, during the height of a particularly humid Japanese Summer in the mountainous region of Yamagata in the Northern prefecture of Japan’s main island Honshu. I was travelling through this region whilst working on a field project supported by The British Library Sound Archive exploring the relationship between sound, spirituality and nature in Japan.
THE YAMABUSHI OF MT. HAGURO ⛰️
In a small village at the foot of the sacred Mt. Haguro, I was introduced to Master Fumihiro Hoshino - a 13th generation Yamabushi elder priest who lives and runs the pilgrim lodge Daishōbō. The Yamabushi (山伏), those who lie down in the mountains, are ascetic mountain monks who deeply revere nature and follow the ancient religion of Shugendō - an esoteric way that unites local folk-religious practices, Shinto mountain worship and Buddhism.
Master Hoshino had granted me permission to observe a period of spiritual training, known as Shugyo, in which he and his family welcome and guide practicing Yamabushi on their pilgrimage through the sacred Dewa Sanzan region - a collective name for three sacred mountains, Haguro-san, Gassan, and Yudono-san, revered for their spiritual power, prowess and importance to the Yamabushi way of life.
At 414 meters high, Mt. Haguro is the most accessible of the Dewa Sanzan mountains. Climbing its enchanting ancient stone steps surrounded by a deep forest of ancient cedars, one can enjoy the beautiful silence and serenity of this holy path that has drawn pilgrims here for centuries.
CHANTING TO THE FOREST SPIRITS 🌳
Accompanying the Yamabushi monks on one of their evening hikes through the forest of Mt. Haguro, I was fortunate enough to record them chanting their sacred hymns. This devotional practice communicates their presence to the surrounding spirits of the forest, and is initiated by the blowing of the Horagai [法螺貝] - a large conch shell that produces this astonishing sound heard at the beginning of the recording.
Discover more sounds from my adventures with the Yamabushi in the forest by listening to Hiking with the Yamabushi Mountain Monks (works best with Chrome browser) created in partnership with the BBC Radiophonic Travel Agency.
“Climbing its enchanting ancient stone steps surrounded by a deep forest of ancient cedars, one can enjoy the beautiful silence and serenity of this holy path that has drawn pilgrims here for centuries.”
I’d like to end with a traditional Yamabushi greeting - Uketamo
Uketamo is living in the now. Uketamo is accepting that the past is the past, the future is the future, and neither exist. Uketamo is being in the moment, and accepting things as they are…
FURTHER READING 📖
To learn more about the Yamabushi and their culture, check out the wonderfully curated Mountains of Wisdom by Tim Bunting - sharing insight and experience as a practicing Yamabushi living in the Shonai region of Yamagata, Japan.
