南岳寺, Buddhist temple in Tsuruoka, Japan.
Nangakuji is a Buddhist temple in the eastern part of Tsuruoka, in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. The grounds include several wooden halls housing Buddha figures and religious artwork, arranged around altars and shrines in a traditional temple layout.
The temple dates back several centuries and was rebuilt after a fire, with later renovations shaping its current form. In the late 19th century, a priest named Tetsuryukai linked several temples in the region and left a lasting mark on this site's development.
The temple is known for its connection to the sokushinbutsu tradition, a form of extreme ascetic practice in which monks preserved their own bodies as an act of devotion. Visitors can still see a mummified monk inside, making this one of the few places where this practice remains directly visible.
The temple can be reached from central Tsuruoka by bus, followed by a short walk. Comfortable footwear is a good idea, as moving around the grounds and inside the halls involves some steps up and down.
The mummified monk kept at this temple is one of the most recent recorded in the Tohoku region of Japan, meaning the practice continued well into the 19th century. This draws both researchers and believers to the site today.
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