Yamabushi
or
'Monks
living
reclusively in the mountains' are members of a Boudhist sect from the 10th
century. Their philosophy dates from around 700. They didn't worship just
one God, but the uncountable higher spirits of Shinto
or Kami.
Every tree, every rock or river, even a dead person can become Kami.
Not the object itself, but its spirit is worshipped. All Japanese are Shinto;
although they can also tend towards other religions. Shinto is a simple and
honest religion which is respectful of nature. Life itself is honoured in all
its manifestations. All Japanese Martial Arts rely heavily on this
Kami-philosophy.
Some
Yamabushi practised martial arts to strenghten their mind and body. Folkloristic
imagination attributed magical powers, like the ability to fly, to these men.
Tengu are mythological beings capable of shapeshifting into birds. Some
creatures have wings
(Ko-tengu or 'small' tengu), others look like crows (Karasu-tengu), some have
long noses (Konsha-tengu).
The chief Tengu or Sojobo has an emblem with a seven feathers. They were
unequalled masters in the martial arts. Legend has it that they trained Minamoto no Yoshitsune (1159-1189) in the art of swordfighting. He is known as the most
famous and heroic man in Japan, the prototype for all Samurai.
In
1872 the Tengu-philosophy was officially suppressed. Until now all attempts to
revive their ideas have failed completely.
See also Lexicon