Japan: Buddhist Monk Enters 12-Year Seclusion, Cuts off Contact with the outside World Until 2038

A Buddhist monk in Japan has entered 12 years of seclusion as part of an intense religious training regimen. During this period, he will not meet or communicate with anyone. Sogaku Taguchi, the 31-year-old head monk of Nanzambo Temple on Mount Hiei in Otsu, began the period of seclusion on September 11. Due to the prolonged retreat, he will neither leave the temple nor have any contact with the outside world until September 11, 2038.

Nanzambo Temple is part of the Enryakuji Temple complex. Taguchi will stay at the Jodo-in Hall within the complex, which is dedicated to Saicho, the founder of the Tendai Buddhist sect. Taguchi will follow a strict daily routine that includes ascetic practices and rigorous religious exercises, even during the harsh winter months. In the past, several monks have died after falling ill during these demanding practices. He will also clean the hall and prepare food, which will be offered in front of the mausoleum.

According to Enryakuji Temple, Taguchi is the 118th person to become a “jishin” since 1699 and the eighth since the end of World War II. The path to becoming a “jishin” includes a religious practice known as “kaihogyo.” Under this practice, the monk must offer incense 300 times a day before each Buddha, chant their names and repeatedly bow in prostration. The intensity of the practice is said to eventually cause the monk to see a clear image of the Buddha.

Taguchi began practicing “kaihogyo” during the same period last year. After completing the practice, he participated in a ceremony at Kaidan-in Hall known as “Jisei Jukai,” a self-imposed religious vow. Before entering seclusion, Taguchi spoke to reporters and said he was “filled with joy to be standing at the beginning of this journey.” He said, “My desire to live according to the teachings of Dengyodaishi continued to grow in my heart, and with that purpose in mind, I chose the path of a monk.” Dengyodaishi was a title bestowed upon Saicho by the emperor of the time.

Mount Hiei is also famous for the demanding religious practice known as “kaihogyo,” in which monks walk around the mountain for a total of 1,000 days over a seven-year period. During the first three years, they must walk 30 kilometers every day for 100 consecutive days each year. In the fourth and fifth years, they walk every day for 200 consecutive days each year.

After that, the monk spends nine days without food, water, sleep or lying down, continuously reciting Buddhist mantras while being monitored by other monks. In the following year, the monk must walk 60 kilometers every day for 100 days. In the subsequent year, the distance increases to 84 kilometers a day. In the final stage, the monk walks 30 kilometers every day for 100 days.