The Self-Mummification of Honmyokai Shonin by Lauren Thom

The mummified remains of Honmyōkai Shōnin 

 (Jeremiah, 2010, p. 199). 

The mummy Honmyokai Shonin is the oldest self-mummified monk in Yamagata, Japan and is recognized for practicing the ancient act of Sokunshinbutsu, which is the becoming of a Buddhist in ones own body through the process of self-mummification (Ichiro, 1962, p. 242.). This was a popular practice in Japan between the 11th and 19th century through a Buddhist school called Shingon School of Buddhism which means “True World” (Ichiro, 1962, p. 242). The model of their religious faith and practice was to use self-mummification in hopes that each individual monk would become a Buddha in his very own body. Many monks believed that if they died a natural death they would not be able to control their transformation into the afterlife and their reincarnation would not be successful (Jeremiah, 2010, p.197). In order to successfully make it to the afterlife they believed in meditating and starving themselves to death. This would cause them to be lucidly aware during the period between life and death (Jeremiah, 2010, p. 197). Self-mummified monks also engaged in extreme ascetic practices, including meditation under freezing waterfalls, long periods of starvation, and some even used self-mutilation (Jeremiah, 2010, p.199). The Buddhist monks participate in these activities to promote spiritual power and approach the divine in the Mountains of Shugendo (Jeremiah, 2010, p.11). By examining self-mummification as a cultural and historical practice archaeologists will have a better understanding as to why Buddhist monks chose to die in this particular fashion. 

 There are two types of mummification, the first being natural mummification and the second being artificial mummification. Decomposition after death begins fairly shortly due to the breakdown of body tissues by internal chemicals and outside factors like temperature, water, humidity, and more (Jeremiah, 2010, p.21). Of natural mummification there are two breakdowns; accidental mummification and simple mummification. Accidental mummification is where there is no human attempt to preserve the body, the preservation was due to climatic conditions. Simple mummification is more likely to occur due to the soil that the body is surrounded by that is absorbent which causes the body to preserve (Jeremiah, 2010, p.21). The self-mummified monks of Japan attempted to mummify themselves using the first method of mummification being accidental mummification. However they instead fall in-between the simple mummification technique and the accidental mummification practice due to the fact that they did not make use of any embalming techniques (Jeremiah, 2010, p. 25). There are many factors that have played into the difficulty of choosing which practice the monks actually used. In Japan there is immense humidity which along with other unidentifiable causes could explain why some monks mummified and others did not. Due to this unexplainable mummification in some and not others has caused archaeologists to think artificial mummification was used in-conjunction. Though it is hard to be certain, we can gather that through archaeology mummies can demonstrate religious practices and superstitions, they can show agency, structure, diet, work and many other pieces of valuable information. Therefore, mummified remains can be seen as a doorway that sheds light on the practices, beliefs, and customs. 

 The process of ‘Buddhist Masters’ becoming mummified while still living was a custom that was practiced until late into the 19th Century with some documented cases still occurring in the 20th century. This was due to Buddhist monks participation in the custom to create a "living" idol of a ‘buddhavista’ or incarnation of Buddha who would reside permanently in a Japanese temple (Fleshy Bones, 2011). In addition to this belief the number three is thought to be very important in Buddha practices and therefore, one of the reasons why we can assume the the self-mummification process is broken down into three steps. One particular practice that Buddhist monks follow relates to three secrets of Buddhism; the first is the secret of the body (mudrās), the second is the secret of speech (mantras), and the third is the secret of the mind (meditation) (Jeremiah, 2010, p. 196). These three secrets hold the key as to what Buddhist monks believe is important which may further explain why self-mummification is a three step process. 

 Self mummification involves a three step process: The first step being for a prospective mummy monk to spend 1,000 days (over 3 years) eating a strict diet of nuts and seeds and engage in rigorous physical training to strip the body of fat (Fleshy Bones, 2011). This process was commonly known as mokujikigyō, which literally means “tree-eating,” but refers to abstention from cereals (Jeremiah, 2010, p.195). The second step, involved another 1,000 days of eating only bark and roots which would eventually reduce down as time passed. Towards the end of this time period, they would start drinking tea made from the sap of the urushi tree. This is a poisonous substance normally used to make Japanese lacquer bowls. However, used in this manner it creates a further loss of bodily fluid which is an important part of self-mummification (Fleshy Bones, 2011). The tea gathered was highly toxic which created a germ-free environment within the body and helped preserve whatever flesh was left on the bone (Fleshy Bones, 2011). The third and final step of self-mummification is that the monks would seal themselves in a tomb located in the mountains which they connect to the surface by a tiny bamboo air pipe (Jeremiah, 2010, p.12). There, the monks meditate until the point of death - at which point they were sealed in their tomb. After another 1,000 days, they were dug up and cleaned. If the body remained well-preserved after this 10-year process then the monk was deemed a living mummy (Jeremiah, 2010, p. 196). Due to this intense process many Japanese monks were unable to reach Buddha status and therefore failed to become living mummies. 

 In conclusion, there are eight mummified bodies on display in Yamagata Prefecture and thirteen are found in various other parts of Japan (Jeremiah, 2010, p. 206). It has been found by looking at most of the Japanese Buddhist mummies that many of them were mummified through natural processes however, most of their internal organs have been devoured by rats. It is thought that some undergone an artificial mummification process which may make it difficult to truly tell  whether their mummification was naturally successful (Sakurai et al., 1998, p.309). The practice of self mummification was extremely common due to many monks desires to become Living Buddhas which are holy individuals that died to bring salvation to others (Jeremiah, 2010, p.206). The practice of self-mummification has now ended but by researching more about Japanese Buddhist monks archaeologists can find out why this process of dying was so important to them and why it slowly faded into non-existence.