ShugendÅ
Shugendō (Japanese修 験 道; something like: " Way ( Dao ) of the training of miraculous powers " ) is an ancient Japanese syncretic religion. The followers of Shugendō, Shugenja (修 験 者, " Shugen Person" ) or Yamabushi (山 伏, " hidden in the mountains " or literally " mountain warrior " - cf: Bushi and Bushidō ) called, perform magical- religious rituals and ascetic practices in the mountains, who have the sokushin - jōbutsu ( Buddha If in this life ) and the attainment of supernatural abilities to the target. These skills are used for the benefit of the population, for example in the form of divination.
History
During the Japanese Middle Ages, the two main lines of regimented organized Shugendō, the Tozan -ha branch ( connected with the Buddhist Shingon school ) and the Hozan -ha branch ( connected with the Buddhist Tendai school) developed. Apart from the two main branches were formed some independent, regionally limited collateral branches, such as at Mount Hiko on the island of Kyushu and on the mountain Haguro ( in today's Yamagata Prefecture ).
In 1613 the Edo period, the Shugendō Hatto a law that the Tozan -ha -ha and Hozan officially recognized and stipulated that all other shugenja should join one of these two branches. Was adopted,
In the Meiji period the religion was then pursued in the framework of the Shinbutsu - Bunri and eventually banned in 1872. In Shrine Shinto, however, some of the Shugendo festivals were still celebrated. Some traditions were continued in sectarian Shinto, as of the Fuso - kyō (扶桑 教, pray only the first three Kami in the Kojiki on ), the Jikko - kyō (实行 教, simplified実 行 教; founded by Takekuhi Fujiwara ( 1541-1646 ) and distributed by Hanamori Shibata (1809-1890)), and Mitake- kyō (also Ontake - kyō (御 岳 教), pray especially Kuni - toko - tachi, Ō- Namuchi and Sukuna - hikona on, the main training ground is the Ontake - san in Nagano ), of which split off several dozen new religious movements in the subsequent period. Only with the statutory provision on religious bodies from 1945 ( shūkyō hōjinrei ) Shugendō was publicly active again, for the first time in its history also independently and without the Buddhist schools, under the auspices of the various lineages of Shugendō had previously stood.
Today, the main branches of the Shugendō include Shingonshū Daigo -ha, Hozan Shugenshū, Kinbusen Shugen Honshū and Haguro Shugen Honshu.
Sites
The three main sites of exercise Shugendō are the mountains Omine and Kumano in Kii Mountains ( central places of the Tozan -ha and Honzan - ha), with the Dewa Mountains ( central place of Haguro - ha). However, there are a number of other sacred mountains where Shugendō is practiced, such as the Kimpu -san ( highest elevation of the Yoshino Mountains ) in Yoshino, Mount Fuji and the Ontake -san in Nagano, however, no essential infrastructure have.
Also important are the three holy places of Kumano ( Kumano Hayatama Taisha, Kumano HONGU Taisha, Kumano Nachi Taisha ).
Deities
The syncretic basis of Shugendō shows up in the revered deities, which in turn have minority religious movements. This first of the main deity Fudo Myo - ō, the Buddhist origin. Other Buddhist Deities in Shugendō mantra are the four kings (明王, Myo - ō ), the Yasha, the Goho, Kannon, Kongō Doji and Daikoku.
Important deities ( kami ) of Shinto in Shugendō are Inari, Hiei Sanno, Gion, the three Sumiyoshi kami, Kaga, Kasuga, deities of roads and crossroads ( Dosojin ), Katte and Komori, and deities of the Shinto - Buddhist syncretism ( shinbutsu Shugo ): Haguro gongs and Zaō gongs (蔵 王 権 现).
The acquired from Taoism deities include the North Star, Konjin and Koshin.