Mount Kurama (鞍馬山 Kurama-yama) is a mountain to the north-west of the city of Kyoto.
It is the birthplace of the holistic healing art called Reiki, and is said to be the home of Sōjōbō, King of the Tengu, who taught swordsmanship to Minamoto no Yoshitsune.
Kurama is also the location of the annual Kurama Fire Festival (鞍馬の火祭り Kurama no Hi-matsuri), which takes place every October. Kurama-dera (鞍馬寺) is now designated as a national treasure of Japan.
The philosopher Hayashi Razan lists one of the three greatest of the daitengu as Sōjōbō of Mount Kurama.[1] The demons of Kurama and Atago are among the most famous tengu.[2]
The mountain is also known as the birthplace of the holistic healing art called Reiki. In the early 1900s (some say 1914, others say 1922), the founder of Reiki, Mikao Usui,
meditated for 21 days on this mountain and received the Reiki healing
energy. Mikao Usui meditated near the top of the mountain at a site
called Osugi Gongen, at the site of a great sacred tree (kami) said to be an incarnation of the god Maoson.[3]
Sōjōbō (僧正坊, lit. "high Buddhist priest") is the mythical king of the tengu, minor deities who inhabit the mountains of forests of Japan. Sōjōbō is an ancient yamabushi (mountain hermit)
tengu with long, white hair and an unnaturally long nose. He carries a
fan made from seven feathers as a sign of his position at the top of
tengu society. He is extremely powerful, and one legend says he has the
strength of 1,000 normal tengu. Sōjōbō lives on Mount Kurama (north of Kyoto).
Sōjōbō is perhaps best known for teaching the warrior Minamoto no Yoshitsune (then known by his childhood name Ushiwaka-maru or Shanao) the arts of swordsmanship, tactics, and magic in the 12th century. In fact, the name "Sōjōbō" originates from Sōjōgatani, the valley at Mount Kurama near Kibune Shrine
associated with the Shugenja. It is in this valley that Ushiwaka
trained with Sōjōbō in legend. This relationship serves as the basis of
many Japanese woodblock prints, including one by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi. Also in some Japanese villages, parents spread the myth that he eats little boys to stop them going into the forests at night.[citation needed]
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