Spiritual Explorers

Since ancient times, Yamabushi were believed to acquire supernatural powers through the practice of rigorous mountain ascetics. In the 16th century, Christian missionaries to Japan regarded them with hostility, as "sorcerers in the service of the devil." Our spiritual explorers Andrea and Mandy seek to understand the spirituality of Yamabushi through a three-day ascetic program.

Since ancient times, people in Japan have held festivals to appease the deities and pray for protection against disasters and epidemics. Our spiritual explorers Zega and Foo seek to understand the significance of such festivals in a world ravaged by COVID-19. They explore 2 distinctive festivals -- one that originated as a religious ceremony to purge the capital of plague, another to pacify the deities of volcanic Mt. Fuji.

COVID-19 has forced people to practice social distancing, impacting communities all over the world. How have Japan's close-knit communities endured? Our 2 spiritual explorers visit 2 Japanese communities where, prior to the pandemic, annual festivals and events have played an important role in bringing people together. Explore how life has changed in the wake of the pandemic, and the ever-increasing importance of community life.

COVID-19 has sparked a growing awareness of nature and life, alongside an interest in animism, a philosophy which remains at the heart of Japanese beliefs to this day. But what is animism? Anthropologist Okuno Katsumi describes it as a sensibility that connects humans and other life forms. He joins 2 explorers who visited Kumano, the heartland of nature worship in Japan, to talk about Japan's embrace of animism as reflected in its culinary rituals and the relevance of animism in the post-COVID world.

Since ancient times, Japanese people have offered performances of the song, dance and music to the deities. Kasuga Taisha Shrine in Nara Prefecture boasts a 900-year-old festival which dedicates all kinds of performing arts to the divine. Ritual dances called Kagura are performed across Japan, including Takachiho in Miyazaki Prefecture, to thank the deities for a good harvest. How have these dances influenced the spirituality of the Japanese people? Our explorers discuss their experiences of Kagura with a Japanese musician and a historian.

Oni - demonic creatures with horns and fangs - have been feared in Japan for more than a thousand years as a manifestation of disaster and misfortune. Oni come in all shapes and sizes and often make appearances at festivals, but they are far more than a simple representation of evil: In some regions of Japan, they are even regarded as guardian deities. The ambiguous nature of Oni reveals to our 2 explorers a uniquely Japanese understanding that nothing in life is black and white.

The shakuhachi flute emerged during Japan's Edo period (1603-1868) as a tool to train Zen meditation through breathing. Shakuhachi player Kudo Lenzan, who collaborated with Sakamoto Ryuichi during the coronavirus pandemic, says that the sound of the natural bore bamboo shakuhachi expresses the spirit of Zen. It is especially relevant to the Japanese view of impermanence as depicted in Hojoki, written 800 years ago after a series of natural disasters. What role might the shakuhachi play in a world stricken by COVID-19?

Both a lethal weapon and a work of breathtaking art: The Japanese sword is an iconic cultural symbol. Even when used in battle, the katana was always regarded as a sacred treasure that embodied the samurai spirit. Swordsmith Kawasaki Akihira has inherited a thousand-year-old tradition: He welds, hammers and folds plates of steel again and again to create each unique blade. Explore the spirit of the swordsmith who forges beauty from steel.