Hikosan

The 400-year-old main hall (today called the Hōheidō 奉弊堂) and its epic bark roof today at Hikosan 英彦山, one of Japan's three sacred most sacred mountains (the other two being Dewasanzan 出羽三山 in northern Japan where I spent my birthday last year and Ōminesan 大峰山 in Nara prefecture to which I have dedicated years of study and love). Flanked by steep forests, Hikosan has been the destination of white-clad mountain ascetics--seeking mystical experiences, medicinal herbs, or simply the company of ancient cedar trees--for more than 1200 years. At its apex in the Middle Ages nearly 4000 yamabushi 山伏 ("those who prostrate mountains") lived here, prayed here, and some even fought here and died here. The magnitude of history is staggering. For me today, however, it was more soul-refreshing than anything. I chanted Buddhist sutras (err...tried to) with "Shinto" priests, was guided on small matters of ritual propriety by a female shaman wearing flowing white robes who "specializes" in waterfall meditations, sipped tea with the head priest (zasu 座主) who enlightened me on many subjects (while occasionally losing his train of thought, amused that a tall blonde foreigner with a PhD had made the trek and was eager to learn), and instantly fell in love with his son, the next-in-line of this shrine family who has been charged with the duties since medieval times of ensuring the well-being of the sun goddess' son, Masakaakatsu kachihayahi ame no oshihomimi no mikoto 正勝吾勝勝速日天之忍穂耳命. ❤️