yamabushi

Yamabushi (山伏, one who prostrates oneself on the mountain) are Japanese mountain ascetic hermits. They are generally part of the syncretic shugendō religion, which includes Tantric Buddhism and Shinto. Their origins can be traced back to the solitary Yama-bito and some hijiri (聖) (saints or holy persons) of the eighth and ninth centuries. According to American writer Frederik L. Schodt: These positively medieval-looking nature worshipers carry metal staves and conch shells and wear straw sandals and sometimes a hemp cloth over-robe with the Heart Sutra written on it. They follow a mixture of esoteric or tantric Buddhism mixed with Shinto, the native animistic religion of Japan.