is a syncretic Esoteric Buddhist religion, a body of ascetic practices that originated in the Nara Period of Japan having evolved during the 7th century from an amalgamation of beliefs, philosophies, doctrines and ritual systems drawn primarily from Esoteric Buddhism, local folk-religious practices, Shinto, mountain worship, and Taoism. The final purpose of is for practitioners to find supernatural power and save themselves and the masses by conducting religious training while treading through steep mountain ranges. Practitioners are called or . The mountains where is practiced are all over Japan, and can span multiple mountains within one range such as the à Âmine mountain range with Mount Hakkyà  and Mount à Âmine or the Ishizuchisan mountain range with and Tengudake.
The worldview includes a large pantheon of deities (which include Buddhist and Shinto figures). Some of the most important figures are the tantric Buddhist figures of Fudà  Myà Âà  and Dainichi Nyorai. Other key figures are , which are considered to be manifestations of Buddhas sometimes as Japanese kami. is one of the most important gongen in .
evolved during the seventh century from an amalgamation of beliefs, philosophies, doctrines and ritual systems drawn from local folk-religious practices, Shinto mountain worship and Buddhism. The seventh-century ascetic and mystic En no Gyà Âja is widely considered as the patriarch of , having first organized as a doctrine. literally means "the path of training and testing" or "the way to spiritual power through discipline." Some practitioners were said to be descendants of the Kà Âya Hijiri monks of the eighth and ninth centuries.
From the ninth century, elements of Vajrayana Buddhism such as Shingon and Tendai Buddhism were taken into and it developed further. In the Heian period, it became very popular among the nobles living in Kyoto to visit Kumano Sanzan (three major shrines, Kumano Hongà « Taisha, Kumano Hayatama Taisha and Kumano Nachi Taisha), which was the common holy place of , Shinto and Buddhism.
The Meiji government, which erected a barrier between Shinto and Buddhism, ruled that was unacceptable because of its amalgamation of the two religions, and officially forbade it in 1872. With the advent of religious freedom in Japan after World War II, was revived.
In 1907, and his team successfully climbed Mount Tsurugi, which was regarded as the last unclimbed mountain in Japan. However, they found a metal cane decoration and a sword on the top of the mountain, and it turned out that someone had reached the top before them. A later scientific investigation revealed that the metal cane decoration and sword dated from the late Nara period to the early Heian period and that shugenja had climbed Mount Tsurugi more than 1,000 years ago.
The à Âmine mountain range, which stretches 100 km from north to south and connects Yoshino and Kumano, was historically the biggest practice place of . The highest peak of the à Âmine mountain range is Mount Hakkyà  at an altitude of 1915 m, and there are 75 places for ascetic practices along the mountain trail, and à Âminesan-ji Temple at the top of Mount à Âmine at an altitude of 1719 m is considered to be the highest sacred site of . At present, the à Âmine mountain range is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site "Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range" and Yoshino-Kumano National Park.
In modern times, is practiced mainly through Shingon and Tendai temples.
According to Miyake Hitoshi, rituals include "festivals, fortunetelling, divination, prayers and incantations, exorcism, spells, charms and so forth." Hitoshi describes the main worldview which informs praxis as one which:
<blockquote>assumes the existence of at least two realms of existence, that of the daily lives of human beings, and a separate, supernatural spiritual realm behind, and which controls that of the daily lives of human beings. The mountains are seen either as a sacred space which is part of both of these worlds, or is seen to actually be a part of the spiritual world. The altar space during the fire ceremony, or the area of a matsuri, is also considered to be this kind of sacred space. </blockquote>
The tantric Buddhist deity Fudà  Myà Âà  (Sanskrit: , "Immovable") plays a central role in the cosmology practice. Another important Buddha is Dainichi Nyorai (大æÂ¥å¦ÂæÂ¥ï¼ÂMahavairocana). The pantheon also includes numerous other Buddhist, Shinto and local religious figures.
The most important practices are . In , sacred mountains are seen as a supernatural home of numerous deities and as a symbol of the entire universe. According to Hitoshi, "the central element which forms both of these rituals is the symbolic action exhibited in a state of identification with the central deity Fudà  Myà Âà Â." The main source of the shugenja's spiritual power generally understood to be Fudà  Myà Âà  and a shugenja gains the ability to use Fudà  Myà Âà Â's power through mountain practices.
There are three main forms of mountain practice according to Miyake Hitoshi:
esoteric initiations are called and are unique to tradition (but are based on Vajrayana Buddhist abhiseka ceremonies).
Another important practice is the demonstration of magical and spiritual powers (genjutsu, 騠è¡Â). Such displays may include fire walking, walking on swords, and entering boiling water.
Yet another important religious practice in is various which includes making offerings to deities (such as Fudà  Myà Âà  and Zaà  Gongen) as well as the chanting of sutras.
practitioners also take part in Shinto festivals (matsuri, ç¥Â) and make offerings to kami.
Other practices which are part of include the following:
ritualists also practice different rituals, prayers and ceremonies associated with particular deities (shosonbà Â, 諸å°Âæ³Â) including the buddhas Yakushi and Amida, the bodhisattvas Monju, Kokuzo and Kannon as well as Indian deities like Benzai-ten and Japanese Kami like Inari, and Daikoku.
The following are notable sites associated with , many of which serve as popular pilgrimage destinations.