Dorogawa Movie Script
The World Heritage Site of Dorogawa in Tenkawa Village of Nara Prefecture.
Surrounded by the Omine mountains, the village retains the beauty of nature and culture, along with the ways of Shugendo
It was listed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage in 2004 as part of the Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range.
Ryusenji Temple is the main temple of Shingonsyu Daigoha.
En no Gyoja was the founder of Mt. Omine. He discovered a spring spouting from the rocks while training on Mt. Omine.
Ryusenji Temple is said to have its roots in En no Gyoja’s training and deification of Hachidai Ryuo-son on the banks of this spring.
Beyond the grounds of this temple is a mountain covered in a vast virgin forest. It has been designated as a natural monument of the prefecture, offering enjoyment of views that change with the seasons.
Japanese people have believed since ancient times that gods live in the mountains.
It is a Japanese folk belief, stemming from the worshipping of mountains and nature.
It began with the deification of mountains, and training in mountains meant entering inside god to attain supernatural powers.
Monks trained to clear their minds and purify their souls to be free of evil. The purpose of Shugen was to attain virtuousness. Shugensha are practitioners of this Shugendo.
Around 1,300 years ago, En no Gyoja was training on Mt. Omine, when he saved the people from an epidemic by boiling Amur cork tree chips and administering the brew to cure them.
This was the start of daranisuke folk medicine.
A Buddhist monk plays the role of a mediator, passing on his knowledge on nature and medicinal herbs to villagers.
On the other hand, their lifestyle leads them to dive headlong into nature and even face the prospect of death.
Shugendo is a religion in which practitioners walk through the mountains to hone themselves in body and soul.
Everything, from the rocks to trees are inhabited by spirits. This is a fundamental concept in Shugendo.
The mountains are very inconvenient places, where you learn to appreciate water, food and other things you take for granted in everyday life.
Dorogawa has thrived on the blessings of nature since ancient times.
Even today, the people of Dorogawa live surrounded by mountains and clear rivers, which they continue to protect.
“Protect,” “pass on” and “connect” through a lifestyle of coexisting in harmony with nature.
