19/10/2025
This year, we once again had the honor of hosting several tours of “Walk the Sacred Path with the Marathon Monk of Mt. Hiei”.
Have you ever heard of the Sennichi Kaihōgyō (One thousand day circuit training in the mountains)?
It is a sacred and almost unimaginable practice passed down at Enryakuji Temple on Mt. Hiei — a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Over the course of one thousand days, monks run and walk through the mountains nearly 30 kilometers each day, sometimes covering as much as 80 kilometers, praying to the deities with every step they take.
In the seventh year comes the Dōiri — nine days and nights without food, water, rest, or sleep. It is said that only those who have transcended the limits of body and mind can complete it.
In our tour, we walk together with a Dai Ajari — a monk who has fulfilled this extraordinary path of devotion. Step by step, we follow the same sacred trails he once walked, feeling the stillness of the forest, the rhythm of his pace, and the quiet strength that only true discipline and faith can create.
