Mount Shosha Engyoji (2)

Location: 2968 Shosha, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture

Mount Shosha Engyoji

──The dynamism of a medieval "cultural hub" and the mechanism of narrative creation
──A "mine of stories" that gave birth to Japanese culture

Mount Shosha Engyoji (Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture), a special head temple of the Tendai sect and known by the nickname "Mount Hiei of the West," is a solemn site of ascetic practice with temple buildings arranged across steep peaks at an altitude of 371 meters. However, when its history of over a thousand years is deconstructed from a socio-cultural historical perspective, it becomes clear that the role this mountain played was not limited to a place for worldly benefits or asceticism detached from the world. Mount Shosha was a "media hub" where literature, theater, crafts, and even discourses on political turmoil intersected, continuously producing and circulating unique "cultural content" of the Japanese Middle Ages.

This content examines, from the intersection of material culture and the history of performing arts, how Mount Shosha, beyond its symbolism as a mountain of faith, accumulated multi-layered "legends" while using historical facts as fertilizer, acting as a device that influenced the spiritual history of the Japanese people.

The True Image as a Medieval Cultural Hub

The background to Mount Shosha occupying an unparalleled position in medieval spiritual history lies in its distance from the capital (Kyoto) and its location at a geopolitical crossroads in Harima Province, where the Seto Inland Sea route and the Sanyo-do road intersected. This topos as a liminal space—"being on the periphery yet directly connected to the center"—served as a catalyst that linked sacred space with secular entertainment.

Despite boasting the prestige of a famous Tendai temple, Mount Shosha was chosen as a stage for plots ranging from medieval popular songs to classical literature and popular theater. A prime example is its praise as "Mount Shosha in Harima" alongside Kumano, Nachi, and Mount Hiei in the "Ryojin Hisho," a collection of imayo songs compiled by Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa. Furthermore, in the description of the "Mountain" section in Volume 5 of the "Enkyokushu" (a collection of enkyoku songs popular from the Kamakura to Muromachi periods), it is mentioned as "Mount Hiei and Mount Shosha" among renowned sacred sites.

Mount Shosha functioned not as a sacred mountain for offering prayers, but as a rich "symbol" for dramatically unfolding stories. When the vertical transcendence of faith intersected with the horizontal secularity of performing arts and literature in this place, Mount Shosha became a powerful narrative creation device for the Japanese Middle Ages.

• "Ryojin Hisho" -Recognition as one of Japan's leading mountain and Kannon sacred sites where sacred hermits (hijiri) reside—a topos of ascetic practice mentioned alongside Kumano, Nachi, Omine, Sefuri, and others.

• "Enkyokushu" -A famous temple of miraculous efficacy with supreme dharma lights, comparable to Mount Hiei, Ishiyama-dera, and Hasedera—the authority of the Tendai En-shu sect standing out among the list of miraculous shrines and temples.

• "Taiheiki" -An asylum during the period of national turmoil, harboring the dharma power of national protection and superhuman legends—Emperor Go-Daigo's imperial visit, the Lotus Sutra in the Hall of Enma, and the Tenjiku-arai kesa (robe).

• Noh play "Tohoku" -Salvation through the "art" of waka poetry and the connection to a sacred site that guarantees rebirth in the Pure Land—Izumi Shikibu, the plum tree by the eaves, the merits of the Lotus Sutra, and enlightenment as a Bodhisattva of song and dance.

• Noh play "Eguchi" -Presentation of Mahayana salvation through the reversal of the sacred (a hermit who loathes the secular) and the secular (a courtesan living in a temporary lodging)—Shoku Shonin, Saigyo Hoshi, Lady Eguchi (manifestation of Fugen Bosatsu), and the Ten Rakshasa Daughters.

• "Kiichi Hogen Sanryaku no Maki" -An ascetic space where a wild child transforms into a hero possessing both "wisdom" and "martial arts"—the page Oniwakamaru (Benkei), the mirror well, and the confrontation with Taira no Hiromori's retainers.

• "Gosho-zakura Horikawa Youchi" -A stage of the past that imparts human warmth—"human affection (the tragedy of parent and child)"—to the brave, rough monk—Benkei, his daughter Shinobu, and the promise made on a moon-waiting night in autumn at the main camp in Fukui Village near Himeji, Banshu.

Why did legends accumulate on Mount Shosha?

Mount Shosha has an unnaturally high concentration of legends involving important figures, starting with its founder, Shoku Shonin, and including Musashibo Benkei, Izumi Shikibu, Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa, and Emperor Go-Daigo. The background to this 'hyper-inflation of stories' lies in the inclusive power that Mount Shosha possessed as an 'asile' (sanctuary/refuge).

In medieval Japanese society, Mount Shosha was a sacred, inviolable territory beyond the reach of secular law (national law), where all sentient beings, regardless of class, criminal record, or gender, were equally embraced under the Buddha's transformation. Such a space easily attracted social outcasts, marginalized people, or yujo (courtesans) and performers burdened with obsessions. Their conflicts and dramas were projected onto the sacred screen of Mount Shosha, sublimated into stories of noble religious salvation.

Furthermore, the monks of Mount Shosha and the sendatsu (guides) who led pilgrimages entertained visitors and enhanced the temple's authority by linking episodes to the physical strange rocks, buildings, and wells on the mountain. For example, just as they transformed the physical tragedy of the burning of temple halls due to fire into the humorous and dynamic story of 'Benkei's Fight,' Mount Shosha possessed a narrative and editorial ability to reorganize the 'official records (facts)' of history into 'living stories (fiction).'

The Legendization of Shoku Shonin and the Truth Told by Scientific Material

At the center of the legendization process of Mount Shosha is the deification of its founder, Shoku Shonin. Shoku, a real ascetic monk born in 910 as the second son of the Tachibana clan, was spoken of as a supernatural being even during his lifetime.

According to the 'Banshu Shosha-zan Engi Emaki' (Illustrated Scroll of the Origins of Mount Shosha), the Shonin held a needle in his left hand from the moment of his birth and was called the 'manifestation of the Kongo-shin Bodhisattva.' There is also a tradition that he met the living Fugen Bodhisattva during his training on Mount Sefuri, and upon entering Mount Shosha, he was guided by auspicious clouds and taught the sacred sites of the mountain (three auspicious places) by a hermit who was an incarnation of the Monju Bodhisattva. The legend of the 'Living Wood Nyoirin Kannon,' considered the origin of the Maniden Hall (a story in which a heavenly maiden descends to a cherry tree at the edge of a cliff to worship, and the Kannon statue is carved directly into the living tree), shows a fusion of Japan's unique mountain worship, which views natural trees themselves as manifestations of the Buddha, and Tendai Esoteric Buddhism.

• Entering Nirvana in the Flesh and Becoming an Immortal Guardian Deity -Discovery of remains in a glass jar from inside the head of the 'Seated Statue of Shoku Shonin,' the principal image of the Kaizando Hall (2008 CT survey) - Proving the legitimacy of the documentary record that the 'remains' recovered from the ruins of the first statue, built shortly after his death, were placed inside the restored statue.

• Permanent Protection Underground -Discovery of a wooden box inscribed with 'Shoku Shonin's True Remains,' a ceramic urn, a gorinto (five-ring pagoda), and sutra stones from under the altar of the Kaizando Hall (2009 excavation) - By constructing a sanctuary (stone chest) containing the remains underground, the Kaizando Hall itself became the Shonin's 'mausoleum (grave),' an expression of the structure of faith.

• A Humble Personality That Rejects All Impurity -Discovery of the 'Heian-period Shoku Shonin Statue' in the collection of Sengaku-in Temple (1998) and the Edo-period copy of the portrait by the painter Kose Hirotaka - Presentation of a human-like, real image of a 'man of substance' who is downcast, hunched over, and lost in thought.

Scientific and academic investigations have provided support for this story of the 'mythologized founder.'

In 2008, an X-ray CT scan was conducted on the 'Wooden Seated Statue of Shoku Shonin' (1288, created by the sculptor Keikai), a nationally designated Important Cultural Property and the principal image of the Kaizando Hall, in conjunction with a special exhibition at the Nara National Museum. As a result, a precious imported glass (lapis lazuli) jar resembling an apple was detected inside the statue's highly raised head, sealed with a wooden stopper. Inside were the 'remains' believed to be those of Shoku Shonin. This was the moment when the description in the 'Shoku Shonin Denki Yuizokushu,' which states that 'a lapis lazuli jar containing the Shonin's true remains was discovered from the ashes of the old statue during the fire of 1286 and placed again in the head of the restored statue by Keikai,' was verified after approximately 720 years.

Furthermore, the following year, in 2009, during preservation and repair work on the Kaizando Hall, a stone chest was discovered under the floor of the altar where the principal image is enshrined. Inside the stone chest was a wooden box inscribed with 'Shoku Shonin's True Remains,' and a ceramic urn wrapped in cloth using gold thread was enshrined along with a vast number of sutra stones and miniature five-ring pagodas.

These dual 'discoveries of remains' tell us that Shoku Shonin was not merely a 'legendary saint,' but an 'absolute object of faith in the flesh' who maintained continuous contact with medieval believers through his physical remains (true bones). The myth as a fiction was sublimated into an unshakable sacred reality by obtaining the physical matter of the true bones.

Shinobu Orikuchi's Theory of Performing Arts and the Expedient Means of 'Kyogen Kigo'

Mount Shosha was not just a place that provided motifs for performing arts, but a 'sacred site of performing arts' where the arts themselves were linked to religious salvation. To understand this nature, it is necessary to use the performing arts theory of the Japanese scholar and folklorist Shinobu Orikuchi—namely, his definitions of 'gei' (skills acquired through training), 'no' (the ability to accomplish), and 'performing arts as a spectacle that cannot exist without an audience'—as a supplementary line.

In the Noh play 'Tohoku,' Izumi Shikibu overcomes the delusions of her worldly passions through the virtue (merit) of waka poetry and dances as a 'Bodhisattva of Song and Dance.' Here, the medieval unique religious thought (the view of Kyogen Kigo) is presented in a refined form, where singing of worldly love (a frivolous woman, frivolous words) can actually be a means of praising the truth of the Buddha, serving as 'the play of Kyogen Kigo, the cause for entering the Buddha's path.'

Furthermore, this philosophy was advanced by the tale in the 'Senjūshō' (the prototype for the Noh play 'Eguchi') concerning Shōkū Shōnin and the 'Chief of the Courtesans of Muro'.

Having attained the purification of the six senses through the recitation of the Lotus Sutra, Shōkū offered prayers for seven days, wishing to 'worship the living Samantabhadra Bodhisattva.' He then received a divine revelation in a dream, telling him, 'Worship the Chief of the Courtesans of Muro. She is the living Samantabhadra.' When Shōkū traveled down to Murotsu and visited the Chief's lodging to request a dance, she sang an imayo song, 'The wind whispers by the marsh of the Suō Mitarashi,' and danced while playing the sasara. As Shōkū closed his eyes in contemplation, the courtesan's form instantly transformed into Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, riding a white elephant and emitting a dazzling light from between her brows. She departed into the void, leaving behind the words, 'Though the winds of the five dusts and six desires do not blow in the vast ocean of true reality and undefiled nature, there is never a time when the waves of the true suchness of dependent origination do not rise.'

This tale expresses a dynamic value shift in which the most sacred Mahayana Bodhisattva (the Sacred) resides within the existence of a courtesan, who is considered secular and sinful (the Profane). Here, performing arts (song and dance) were positioned as a skillful means (expressive technique) to bridge the delusions of ordinary people (the five dusts and six desires) and the truth of the Buddha (true suchness). Mount Shosha and its founder, Shōkū, were the greatest incubators for supplying such discourse on 'universal salvation through performing arts' to medieval society.

A Deep Anatomy of the 'Demon Chase'

The 'Oni-oi Eshiki' (Demon Chase Ceremony), a Shūsaie ritual held annually on January 18th at the Maniden of Engyo-ji (designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property by Himeji City), is a dynamic legacy of the syncretism of Shinto, Shugendo, and Tendai Esoteric Buddhism in the Middle Ages, distinct from secular 'demon-expelling (Setsubun)' rituals.

In the first place, the Red Demon (Jakuten) and Blue Demon (Oten) that appear in this ritual are not evil beings to be exterminated. They are the embodiments of the 'Gohō Dōji' (Dharma-protecting children) whom Shōkū Shōnin kept as attendants since his days of ascetic training on Mount Sefuri, and who were enshrined in the Gohō-dō Hall of the Okunoin as the mountain's guardian deities after the Shōnin's passing. Jakuten is considered an incarnation of Bishamonten, and Oten an incarnation of Fudō Myōō.

The multi-layered religious structure contained within this Demon Chase Ceremony is organized as follows:

1. Hakusan Gongen and Iwakura (Rock Seat) Worship: On the afternoon of the day, the demon performers depart from the Maniden and climb to the Hakusan Gongen (Jūichimen-dō) at the summit, the highest peak at 371 meters above sea level. This site is a sanctuary of primitive megalithic worship (Iwakura) where it is said that Susanoo-no-Mikoto once descended, leading people to call it 'Mount Susano-no-tori' or 'Mount Susano,' which is considered the origin of the name 'Mount Shosha.' The demons (Gohō Dōji) first perform the demon dance at the dance hall of the Hakusan Gongen, where the energy of this wild local deity (Susanoo) is directly connected, and then descend to the Maniden after being imbued with a powerful divinity (innocent vitality through purification).

2. The Darkness of Tendai Esoteric Buddhism and Spring-Welcoming Sorcery: By the time the demons arrive at the Maniden, all the doors of the hall are closed, creating complete darkness (the manifestation of night). In this pitch-black space, the wildness of Jakuten (Red Demon) swinging torches and scattering sparks, followed by the serene movements of Oten (Blue Demon) striking the floor intensely with a sword to subdue evil, visualizes the dynamism of the two realms of Esoteric Buddhism (the Womb Realm and the Diamond Realm).

3. Rice Cultivation Rituals and the Cycle of Ancestors (Mountain Gods): The giant 'Demon's Mochi' offered in the outer sanctuary of the Maniden and the artificial cherry blossoms decorated on it have folkloric significance. In folk belief, the souls of ancestors (mountain gods) descend from the mountains in spring to become 'gods of the rice fields,' promising a bountiful rice harvest, and return to the mountains (the land of Tokoyo) in autumn. Cherry blossoms are a harbinger of fertility, and just as 'shari' is slang for rice, the merits of the Buddha's relics (Shōkū's true remains), the abundance of rice, and the arrival of spring (the blessings of the New Year) are synchronized through these large mirror mochi and cherry blossoms.

• Dance Hall Performance at Hakusan Gongen - Susanoo-no-Mikoto (local deity), Eleven-faced Kannon (manifestation) - Purification that absorbs the sacred 'Ki (earth energy)' of the Iwakura and grants divinity to the demons.

• Complete Closing of the Maniden (Darkness) - Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva (Maniden principal image) - A simulated experience of cosmic creation that artificially generates chaos (winter/death) and regenerates a new order (spring/life) from it.

• Torches and Bells of Jakuten (Red Demon) - Bishamonten, Umezu family (descendants of Jakuten) - The expulsion of disease and the yin energy of winter through intense fire and sound (the manifestation of yang energy).

• Sword of Subjugation of Oten (Blue Demon) - Fudō Myōō, Umezu family - The construction of a barrier (kekkai) that pacifies wild forces and ensures the safety of the land, national peace, and the happiness of all people.

• Glutinous Rice Mirror Mochi from Ega-Nishi Village - Water deity of the Yumesaki River, ancestral spirits (mountain gods) - Gratitude for the dharma power of Shōkū, who saved the village from flood damage, and the acceptance of the five grains' abundance brought by the mountain gods.

Supporting this complex and sophisticated structure is a thousand-year hereditary system by the 'Umezu family,' who are said to have followed Shōkū from Mount Sefuri to Harima and settled at the foot of the mountain. No matter how the powers of the state or the temple changed, the fact that the Umezu family, who identify as descendants of Jakuten, has continued to oversee the setup and performance of this ritual without interruption has given the Demon Chase Ceremony an unchanging magical reality.

Return After About 400 Years of Plunder

The glorious Middle Ages of Mount Shosha were crushed by the military violence of the Sengoku period. In March of the 6th year of Tenshō (1578), Hashiba Hideyoshi, who was advancing the military subjugation of Harima, set his sights on Mount Shosha, which functioned as a natural fortress and a food supply base capable of housing thousands of soldiers. Hideyoshi led a large army into the mountain, established his headquarters (military command post) at 'Jūchibō,' and occupied Engyo-ji as a barracks for about two years. Under this occupation, many high-ranking monks were driven from the mountain, and numerous precious temple treasures and utensils were looted by Hideyoshi's forces.

At this time, one of the greatest treasures of Engyoji, which was seized by Hideyoshi, was the 'Midan (Shosha-nuri Great Altar),' an exquisite altar placed at the center of the training hall in Esoteric Buddhist rituals. It is said that Hideyoshi took it away to make it his own 'personal altar for his guardian Buddha.'

This historical trauma, which symbolizes the ravages of the Sengoku warlord, reached a turning point in the year 2000 (Heisei 12) when, after an endless span of about 420 years, this altar was miraculously discovered and returned to Mount Shosha.

Surprisingly, when the ink inscriptions remaining inside the returned Great Altar were examined, the specific production data was revealed.

• 1423 (Oei 30): The woodwork (framework) of the altar was produced.

• 1445 (Bun'an 2): 22 years later, 'Shosha-nuri (vermilion lacquer)' was applied to this Great Altar.

This ink inscription demonstrated that in the middle of the Muromachi period in Harima Province, the design and coating methods of an independent lacquerware brand called 'Shosha-nuri' had already been established, creating a ritual space befitting the temple's status. The 'memory of destruction' caused by Hideyoshi's looting was transformed, through the return of the Great Altar to its original position after 400 years, into proof of the outstanding cultural level and high craftsmanship of medieval Harima.

The 'Phantom Lacquerware' nurtured by the migration of artisans

There is a historical paradox in the looting of the Midan by Hideyoshi and the subsequent role of Mount Shosha in the history of Japanese crafts.

In the old wooden buildings and sub-temples of Mount Shosha, a unique type of lacquerware known as 'Shosha-nuri (Shosha-Negoro),' which features vibrant vermilion lacquer applied over a jet-black base, has been passed down since ancient times. Because the vermilion lacquer on the surface wears away with use, beautifully revealing the black lacquer base in a mottled pattern, this lacquerware was highly regarded artistically by tea masters and connoisseurs.

In 1585 (Tensho 13), Toyotomi Hideyoshi carried out an arson attack (the Negoro Attack) on Negoro-ji Temple in Wakayama Prefecture. It is said that a group of Negoro lacquer artisans who survived this attack fled to Mount Shosha and settled there. They merged with the Shosha-nuri techniques that had existed on Mount Shosha since the Bun'an period, and perfected a more refined, unique 'Shosha-nuri' technique within these mountains.

In other words, Hideyoshi, who looted and destroyed Mount Shosha in 1578, ironically created a reciprocal movement by destroying Negoro-ji in 1585, which led to 'top-tier artisan skills being evacuated and concentrated at Mount Shosha, fostering a legendary craft brand.'

Shosha-nuri, which was once as famous as 'Negoro-nuri' during the Edo period, saw its production techniques lost during the modernization after the Meiji era, becoming a 'phantom lacquerware' that existed only in literature. However, in 1985 (Showa 60), numerous Shosha-nuri lacquerware pieces were dramatically discovered in storehouses within the mountain, including those at the sub-temple Sengaku-in. Following this, the restoration of traditional techniques proceeded at a rapid pace, and it was successfully revived in the modern era.

Currently, at the sub-temple 'Juryo-in,' a nationally designated Important Cultural Property, visitors can enjoy Shojin Ryori (Buddhist vegetarian cuisine) that boasts a thousand-year history, served on beautiful, restored Shosha-nuri vessels. This is not merely an exhibit for historical reflection, but is recognized as a sustainable model for the regeneration of food culture that connects the senses of modern people to the aesthetic consciousness of the Middle Ages.

The Lord of Himeji Castle, Hidari Jingoro, and the shadow of Musashi

The grounds of Mount Shosha Engyoji contain a variety of monuments that can be called a microcosm of Japanese history from the early modern to the modern era, extending beyond the history of performing arts and crafts mentioned so far.

The statues of strongmen (Rikishi) placed at the four corners under the eaves of the Kaizan-do Hall, supporting the weight of the roof with desperate expressions, are said to be the work of the legendary early Edo period sculptor Hidari Jingoro. However, for some reason, this statue does not exist at the 'northwest corner.' Guides humorously pass down the story that 'the strongman could not bear the weight and ran away in the middle of the night,' skillfully incorporating the playful spirit favored by Edo commoners into the steep mountain of faith.

Also, in the 'Honda Family Mausoleum (a Hyogo Prefecture designated cultural property)' located southeast of the Daiko-do Hall, the gravestones of Masakatsu Honda and Tadamasa Honda, who were lords of Himeji Castle, as well as Tadatoki Honda, famous as the husband of Princess Sen, and Sachichiyo, who was born to Princess Sen and passed away at the age of only three, stand quietly in a row. The historical memory that the ten years Princess Sen spent at Himeji Castle living with Tadatoki after her bereavement from Toyotomi Hideyori at the Siege of Osaka were her 'only happy time' is crystallized as tombstones in this solemn forest of Shosha.

Furthermore, behind the Jogyo-do Hall, the Sakakibara Clan Mausoleum, which includes the tomb of the wise lord Masafusa Sakakibara, is located, and in front of the Yakushi-do Hall, the Matsudaira Clan Mausoleum is situated. This makes it clear that the daimyo who governed Himeji Castle in the early modern period all sought protection in the afterlife from this 'Mount Hiei of the West.' Additionally, the tombstone of Miyamoto Mikinosuke, an adopted son who inherited the two-sword style of the master swordsman Miyamoto Musashi (and who committed ritual suicide as a close aide to Tadatoki), remains on the mountain, demonstrating that Mount Shosha was a 'critical point of loyalty and spirit' for samurai during the transition from the Sengoku period to the early modern era.

In the history of modern architecture, Mount Shosha also created new value. When the Mani-den Hall, which had been destroyed by fire in the Taisho era, was rebuilt in 1930 (Showa 5), Dr. Goichi Takeda, an architect who introduced the latest Western designs such as Art Nouveau and Secession to Japan, was in charge of its design. While preserving the traditional stage-style architecture similar to Kiyomizu-dera, the modern architectural philosophy of the Taisho and early Showa periods was brilliantly infused into its details, serving as proof that Mount Shosha has always continued to engage with the 'cutting-edge culture of the era' up until modern times.

Conclusion

Mount Shosha Engyo-ji is not a defunct 'husk of faith' that merely quietly stores relics of the past. It was a 'story-creation machine (cultural transmission base)' in the history of Japanese spirituality, equipped with an extremely dynamic and multi-layered structure as follows:

• Syncretism of Myth and Nature: A unique cosmology that fuses mountain asceticism and Iwakura (rock) worship based on the legend of Susanoo's descent.

• Sublimation from Reality to the Absolute: The process by which a real ascetic monk named Shoku Shonin is redefined as an eternal guardian deity, mediated by the physical substance of 'bone within the head of the principal image,' which has been confirmed by scientific CT scans.

• Salvation of Sentient Beings through Performing Arts: A tolerant spiritual infrastructure that accepts Izumi Shikibu, the head of the Muro courtesans, and 'Kyogen Kigo (secular arts)' as sophisticated expedients for reaching the Pure Land.

• Reciprocal Movement of Violence and Regeneration: The 'ink inscriptions on the secret altar' that overcame the tragedy of Hashiba Hideyoshi's looting and made a miraculous return about 400 years later, and the modern revival of 'Shosha-nuri' lacquerware, which was preserved by craftsmen who evacuated from the burning of Negoro-ji Temple.

These multi-layered historical spaces function as a fascinating real-life adventure field where a different 'layer of story' emerges with every step you take.

The message that the medium of Mount Shosha has continued to transmit is a philosophy of affirmation: that 'secular sorrow and confusion (the dance of courtesans, Benkei's violence, Princess Sen's grief, the looting of war) are precisely what become the most beautiful and powerful energy for transformation into the sacred.' This rich polyphony of stories, echoing in the mountain winds for over a thousand years, continues to speak to us living in a modern society that can only consume superficial stories in an information-overloaded world, with overwhelming reality.

This content was created based on Gemini and through repeated dialogue with the poster.

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