Shugendo: The Way of the Mountain Monks

SHUGENDO: THE WAY OF THE MOUNTAIN MONKS provides an enticing gateway into the 1,400 year history of Shinbutsu-shugo - it's relevance and revival within our contemporary world. Authored by the 72nd Headmaster (Soke) of the Koryu Shugen Honshu, Shokai Koshikidake, with Martin Faulks, the power of this work originates within authentic, first-hand experience of a Shugenja, rather than the passive perspective of mere academic speculation and theory. As a result, the reader will quickly discover that this is a very approachable and immersive book. Starting from it's insightful Foreword, written by Stephen K. Hayes, the text traces a path of pilgrimage and personal exploration, conveying historical aspects, distinctive clothing, ritual & tools, deities, philosophy, training, methods of enlightenment and Shugendo's relation to martial arts, nature and conservation, replete with color photographs throughout. This long-awaited publication is itself a narrative of tenacity and endurance - indicative of the path of personal trail, knowledge, growth and eventual transcendence realized through Shugendo. A story seventy-two generations in the making.. now openly accessible to you. Here is an informative introduction to the spiritual technology & wisdom from the past, timely and meaningful within the present & vital to the future.

Incredible! This book has a wealth of information, clearly explained. Everything you need to know to make an informed decision as to if this is the path for you. The more you already know, the more you can glean, but even starting from zero this is a solid foundation to build upon and start on this method. Highly recommended.

Way too expensive for what you get. Not edited well either.

I got the book. In the Book there are amazing pictures and facts about the history of the Shugendo.

Don't waste your money. There's more information online than in this book.

Great book, very interesting!

This is an excellent book for anyone interested in Shugendo or Japanese history in general. There are not many books out there on Shugendo, much less in English (I only have seen one other, which while informative reads like a college textbook). This is not only accessible, but allows the reader an inside look into every aspect of the religion.Shokai and Martin have created a wonderful blend of information and pictures that truly leaves the reader feeling as though they have a solid base understanding of all aspects of Shugendo. They have taken an almost extinct religion and brought it into a modern world that very much needs it. One of the major focuses of Shugendo is fostering the bond between mankind and nature, a relationship that has been deteriorating year after year as we become more technology reliant.The only detraction I would have is that on a personal level, I would have liked to have seen more information on practice specifics, e.g. what mantras to chant or which kuji mudras to use with those chants, but there are many books on Shinto-ism and Kuji that can provide a baseline for that.This book is an absolute must for anyone interested in religion, Japan, or simply someone who wants to learn about another potential route they can take to get back interconnected to nature. It is outstanding and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

A great introduction to Shugendo, this book is beautifully laid out with lots of photos to aid the reader in understanding this complex tradition. Not only is this written by Shokai Koshidake, a great master of the tradition, but it is easy to read too. I bought this after reading about Martin's own journey up the Japanese mountains and hope that he will do more books exploring such interesting subjects in the future.

It gave a good overview of shugendo, but did not go deeper into it.