Hello, I am Yoshi from NILS Japanese language school. Today’s topic is the World Heritage of Japan, Kii Mountain Range 紀伊山地（きいさんち）.
The Kii mountain range is the home of three famous sacred places: Yoshino and Kumano, the training places of shugenja, the mountain worshippers; and Mt. Koya, the headquarters of the Shingon sect of esoteric Bhuddism, opened by Kukai. These three places together with their old approaches were designated World Heritage sites. These are unique sacred places where both Bhuddism and Shintoism coexist.



Then, what is shugendo 修験道?
In ancient Japan the mountains were worshipped as Shinto gods. From Nara period (8th century), people started to enter the mountains to undergo training there, and in the Heian period (9th-12th century), when it was influenced by esoteric Bhuddism, the training started to be called shugendo. The practitioners believed that they could become a living Bhudda through training in the mountains.



April 13th News, from NILS Japanese language school.