Japanese Buddhist Mummies

Written by Maciamo on 11 November 2003

They are called 即身仏 (sokushinbutsu), unlike the Egyptian or other mummies called ミイラ (miira, word originally from Portuguese).

I was told that these were Buddhist monks who fasted for years, losing as much body mass as possible so as to mummify, until death came. Needless to say that it must have been horribly painful, except of course if one is a Buddhist monk and "suffering" is just an illusion to you.

These mummies are still considered by some locals as gods. But let me relativise, as Japan is the country of millions of Shinto gods, where emperors or exceptional men all have divine status. Nothing to do with the omniscient and omnipotent monotheistic view of God.

Nowadays the practice of sokushinbutsu is prohibited by law, as it is a form of suicide.

It seems that most Japanese mummies are to be found around Yamagata Prefecture (Northern Japan), and there may not be more than 6 of them.

I have searched and found a mummy at the 龍水寺金剛院大日坊 (Ryusui-ji Kingou-in Dainichibou temple), probably of the Shingon sect, another one at the 南岳寺 (Nangakuji), a third one at the 蔵高院 (zoukouin), which is of the Zen Soutou-sect, and a fourth at the 海向寺 (Kaikouji) of the Jisan Shingon sect.