七面山｜南アルプス前衛の霊山をあるく、敬慎院に宿泊。

As the weather was not promising, I decided to try Mt. Shichimen, a mountain I had been curious about as a mountain that could be hiked even in the rain. This time, instead of staying in a mountain lodge, I would be staying at a temple (Keishin-in).
Two days before, on a Thursday, I phoned and made a reservation for my stay. To my surprise the facility could accommodate about 1,000 people.

There are two trails, the front trail and the back trail, and as this was my first visit to Mt. Shichimen, I decided to hike from the orthodox front trail. However, what I did not know at the time was that this mountain is a place full of leeches.

When I arrived at the trailhead, Shiraito Falls (altitude 510 m), the temperature was 20 °C. It was such a humid morning that my glasses fogged up the moment I got out of the car. This must have delighted the leeches.

I also learnt for the first time that there are three sacred mountains in Japan: Mt.Koya, Mt.Hiei and Mt. Shichimen.
A sacred mountain is a place where ascetic practices take place. In this case, hiking 1,500 m above sea level is also a form of ascetic training.

Again writhing in agony from the heat, I hiked along the zigzagging cedar grove approach. There used to be no leeches on the main approach, but I was told they are now widespread, so I walked down the middle of the path, avoiding the edges as much as possible.
However, despite spraying my face and even my shoes thoroughly with Deet to prevent leeches, I noticed that my cuffs were wet with blood after a short walk.
I couldn't see any leeches, but there was a small cut on my wrist, and if that was the cause of the bleeding, I wondered if it was still the work of leeches. It didn't hurt or itch, but I was upset when I saw the blood. Other hikers did not have such a problem, so I would advise them to move on quickly and not walk as sloppily as I did.

The approach to the temple is lined with lanterns and there are 50 streets to Keishin-in.
The distance between each street was relatively close and I had the feeling that I was making gradual progress.
Mt. Shichimen is not only visited by hikers, but also by many believers. For this reason, the lanterns are all equipped with benches, some of which have roofs, and other generous care has been taken.

Temple and teahouse-style places, such as Kanjinbo and Seiunbo, also appear at moderate intervals, so that visitors can visit them in a touristy atmosphere while hiking.
At first I thought, ‘I'll take a break after about 10 streets’, but gradually I started to take a break every five streets, and finally I was sitting down after every single street.

Just as I was about to arrive at Keishin-in, I was caught in the rain. I was drenched in sweat and rain, but the monks welcomed me with open arms. Those who have hiked up the mountain to this point are equally considered to have done the ascetic training.

There was no soap, but despite being on the mountain, I was able to take a bath and really feel refreshed and rested.
I chose to bring a clean T-shirt to stay at the temple. I took it out and it was a Nirvana T-shirt. The purpose of Buddhism is to reach nirvana... It is a bit embarrassing to wear nirvana here.

Keishin-in costs 6500 yen per night with two meals.
The meals are vegetarian, with no meat or fish. There is a vegetable side dish, pickles, rice and about three bowls of miso soup per person. So I feel like I was just eating  rice. This diet would help me lose weight. But it was on top of a mountain. I still feel like it was a luxury.

The main part of the trip was spent at Keishin-in.
Staying overnight at a temple is called ‘sanro’, which is said to be another form of ascetic training.

Those who stay overnight are supposed to participate in the Gokaicho ceremony and evening prayers for the principal image of the temple.

In the solemn atmosphere, a statue of the deity, Shichimen Daimyojin, appeared.
The moment the doors were opened and the noren was raised, ‘How black it is!’ '. I almost shouted.
For some reason I had imagined it to be gold or brown, so I was surprised to see a black figure I had not imagined.
Five monks then began to read the sutra. It was an impressive high-speed sutra reading.
It was as if I was listening to high speed rap or trance gamelan music.
I would like to share this experience with you, but photography is not allowed, so please experience this magical experience for yourself.

Well, the main hall was under construction, so I had a short chat with a young craftsman who was taking a break.
As construction vehicles were parked there, I thought there must be other forest roads that can be driven up. (There is a ropeway for luggage to Keishin-in).
However, we were told that the vehicles would be unloaded by helicopter.
Once on site, construction workers would stay for about two weeks. It was like working on a boat.
Like us, they have to hike along mountain roads to get to the site.