The Secret World of Shugendō: Sacred Mountains and the Search for Meaning in Post-Disaster Japan

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Shayne A. P. Dahl

The Secret World of Shugendō

Sacred Mountains and the Search for Meaning in Post-Disaster Japan

Shayne A. P. Dahl

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Hardback

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English

The University of North Carolina Press
21 October 2025

Philosophy of religion; Oriental religions; Ethnic studies; Anthropology

Series: Where Religion Lives

In this compelling narrative of discovery set in Japan’s remote Dewa Sanzan mountain range, Shayne A. P. Dahl describes Shugendō, a secretive religious tradition that combines aspects of Shinto, Buddhism, and mountain worship. As a participant-observer, Dahl invites readers into the practices of contemporary ascetics who see the sacred mountains as wombs within which cycles of life, death, and rebirth can be harnessed for the sake of personal transformation and existential realization. As Dahl argues, immersion in Shugendō provides ascetics and pilgrims with an escape from capitalist modernity and an avenue for self-reflection in the wake of the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster near Fukushima in March 2011. Immersing readers in the intimate and hidden dimensions of Shugendō, Dahl sheds light on how practitioners sustain their traditions in the face of modern temptations and tensions within their religious communities. Filled with insight into Shugendō’s contribution to Japanese cultural identity, this book offers groundbreaking perspective on the intersections of ecology, disaster, religion, the human condition, and death.

By: Shayne A. P. Dahl
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 25mm, Spine: 155mm
ISBN: 9781469690599
ISBN 10: 1469690594
Series: Where Religion Lives
Pages: 272
Publication Date: 21 October 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Shayne A. P. Dahl is an anthropologist who earned his doctorate at the University of Toronto and has held postdoctoral fellowships at Harvard University, McMaster University, and the University of Lethbridge.

Reviews for The Secret World of Shugendō: Sacred Mountains and the Search for Meaning in Post-Disaster Japan

""Dahl offers readers a much-needed study of Shugendō and its practice in the Dewa Sanzan mountains of Japan. His beautiful, evocative descriptions of the landscape and insightful analysis of Shugendō's ascetic practices are commendable.""--Mark Rowe, McMaster University ""Shayne Dahl's study employs a strong ethnographic methodology and balances theoretical sophistication with narrative flow, making it a highly readable and valuable engagement with contemporary Shugendō and Japanese religions. The book makes meaningful contributions to the fields of anthropology and religion and will spark conversations in undergraduate and graduate classrooms.""--Caleb Carter, Kyushu University