Shugendo: Essays on the Structure of Japanese Folk Religion (Volume 32) (Michigan Monograph Series in Japanese Studies)

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This work treats of a subject that may seem obscure to some. But hidden in the depths of Shugendo I discovered one of the most illuminating of themes: mountain asceticism as a primer for mountaineering, comparative literature, spirituality and philosophy. I cannot recommend this book enough. Anyone traveling to Japan most definitely will want to confer with this and engage in equivalent pilgrimages. A work of rare beauty and scholarship.

The present book is a compilation of essays by prof. Miyake, who is an authority on the subject in Japan. The subject of Shugendo is hardly known outside Japan, although it would be a very deserving subject for research by Western Japanese Studies specialists in fields like religion, anthropology, philosophy or even art. At present, however, the subject has recieved hardly any attention at all in the West, except maybe inside Japanese religion specialist circles (the results of which, in any case, are not widely known), which is a state of affairs that should be remedied. The present book could thereby become an essential starting point from where scholars can embark on an exploring adventure into an important element of the unique world of Japanese esoterics that is Shugendo. Highly recommended to people with an inquisitive mind into the realm of the abstract within Japanese culture.

Very dry and har to read for the one who is not already immerced into the culture.