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Mountain Monks
Documentary Film
10.00 minutes, 2018
Credits
Photography, Production, Story: Fritz Schumann
Music: Mario Kaoru Mevy
Translations: Wada Maya, Soma Kanae, Kawamoto Yuriko, Suzuki Hidenori
Yamabushi are followers of Shugendō: a nature religion that combines Japanese Shinto and Buddhism. It's an ascetic way of living that has existed for 1,400 years. It was banned in the 19th century and permitted again with the general freedom of religion after the end of World War II.
I visited the mountain monks in Yamagata Prefecture because I was lacking a certain balance. I don't know if I found it, but the Yamabushi walking through a snowy forest are certainly among the most beautiful images I've ever shot.