| Daijuku Bosatsu Shinnyokai-Shonin Human Mummy | |
| |
| Biographical Information | |
|---|---|
| Name(s) | Daijuku Bosatsu Shinnyokai-Shonin |
| Age | 96 |
| Sex | Male |
| Status | Ascetic Monk; Living Buddha |
| Height | Unknown |
| Source | |
| Culture | Japanese |
| Date(s) | 1687-1783 |
| Site | Dewa Sanzan |
| Current Location | |
| Location | Ryusui-ji Dainichibou Temple |
| Catalog # | Unknown |
Daijuku Bosatsu Shinnyokai Shonin was born in 18th century Japan in the village of Asahi, near the Ecchu mountains, and from a young age he began to show strong interest in the teachings of Buddhism. This led him to join the priesthood of the Dainichibo Temple, where at his early twenties he developed an aspiration to become a 'Living Buddha,' and spiritually transcend from his mortal body.
The modern administration of the Dainichibou Temple states that his main motivation for partaking in this process was the famine, harsh winters and poor harvests of the Edo period, whose victims he would look after in the afterlife, as well as prevent a similar tragedy for happening again on the mortal world.
Mummification[]
Dainichibou Temple, in the Tohoku region of Japan
Shinnyokai-Shonin's de-facto preservation process began when he was 96 years old, through a Buddhist self-mummification ritual known as Sokushinbutsu, practiced by 11th-20th century ascetic monks - asceticism being a lifestyle of abstinence from carnal pleasures and material possessions - in order to achieve absolute spiritual enlightenment. From among the Buddhists, the Japanese shugendō monks were the most successful in this process, resulting in over two dozen of the so-called Living Buddhas, including Shinnyokai.
From his twenties, he followed a protocol of strict religious practices that included a rigorous diet called mokujiki (木食, "eating a tree/wood") - in which he only consumed what could be found on the trees surrounding the temple, like nuts, seeds, pine needles, bark, and roots - and exercise routines intended to keep his body fat at a minimum and facilitate mummification, and this is said to be a contributing factor to his long life.
At age 96, close to the end of his life, he put himself on a radically stricter diet consisting of only salt, water and a poisonous tea created from the sap of the urushi tree, normally used to lacquer bowls and wooden furniture. Urushi is a plant from the same family as poison ivy and possesses a strong irritating component named urushiol, that penetrates the skin and triggers intense allergic reactions. The consumption of the urushi tea caused vomiting, pain, and massive loss of bodily fluids, but the main purpose of it was to kill off any organisms that should cause a body to decay, such as parasites and some types of bacteria. The drink became Daijuku's sole source of nutrition on his last days.
Finally, like many other monks attempting the status of Living Buddha, Daijuku was sealed away in a barren tomb and meditated until his passing. According to tradition, the tomb was only opened after 1,000 days, and the body was found to have been successfully mummified. The environmental conditions of the mostly air-tight tomb, the low fat and the toxic aspect of the body after the urushi tea were ideal conditions for this process, and thus Daijuku Bosatsu Shinnyokai Shonin fulfilled his dream of becoming a Living Buddha.
Entrance to Mount Yudono, with a traditional Japanese gate (Torii) marking the start of a Shinto sacred ground
Studies[]
Archaeologists found Daijuku Shinnyokai-Shonin's body in prime condition in the Dewa Sanzan, the Three Mountains of Dewa (Haguro, Gassan and Yudono) in North Japan, a sacred place or rebirth and spiritual transformation to shugendō and other ascetics to this date. They confirmed that he self mummified in the Buddhist religion in order to reach enlightenment and become his full spiritual form.
Pathology[]
Daijuku Bosatsu Shinnyokai Shonin did not have any diseases or illnesses that could have caused his death, but the lack of water and proper nutrition, together with the consumption of the poisonous urushi tea, eventually caused his organs to fail. His aspirations to be a "Living Buddha" led him to orchestrate his own demise.
Holy amulet made from the Living Buddha's clothes
Additional[]
The mummy's clothes are changed every six years by the priests at Dainichibou. The old vests are divided into pieces and sold as miraculous amulets, said to bring protection against death and disasters.
External Links[]
https://cdn.jref.com/data/ams/14/14181-b20c5cfe99d77438b2ce3d947769204a.jpg
English-page | 湯殿山総本寺瀧水寺大日坊 (dainichibou.or.jp)
References[]
Eckelmann, A. (2011). The mummy of dainichibo temple. Japan Travel. Retrieved from http://en.japantravel.com/yamagata/the-mummy-of-dainichibo-temple/432
Strangetremains, Anonymous. (2015). The extreme ritual of self-mummification practice by buddhist monks. Strange Remains. Retrieved from https://strangeremains.com/2015/01/30/read-about-self-mummification-an-extreme-way-of-saving-money-on-embalming/