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In the history of Japanese Buddhism, the phrase “dying while seated inside a jar”usually refers to an extreme form of religious practice known as becoming a living Buddha through self-mummification (attaining Buddhahood in one’s own body).
This was not an ordinary death ritual. Instead, it was a process of entering death through severe discipline, long periods of fasting, and deep meditation.
Below is a detailed explanation of this historical practice.
1. Core Belief: Attaining Buddhahood in This Very Body
This type of practice mainly developed within the context of mountain ascetic traditions and Shingon Buddhism, which was founded by Kūkai.
Practitioners believed that through intense physical discipline and meditation, it was possible to attain Buddhahood in this very body during one’s lifetime, without going through countless cycles of rebirth.
The most famous spiritual figure associated with this idea is Kūkai (also known as Kōbō Daishi).
According to tradition, he did not truly die. Instead, he is believed to have entered eternal meditation at Okunoin Cemetery on Mount Kōya, where he waits for the future appearance of Maitreya.
2. The Harsh “Wood-Eating” Practice
Before entering the jar, monks had to undergo years—sometimes even a decade—of preparation known as “mokujiki” (wood-eating practice).
• Eliminating grains:
They stopped eating staple foods such as rice, wheat, and beans.
• Eating bark and seeds:
Their diet consisted mainly of pine needles, tree bark, nuts, and wild plants.
• Removing body fat:
The purpose of this diet was to remove as much body fat and moisture as possible, which would help prevent the body from decaying after death.
• Drinking lacquer tree sap:
In the final stage, monks sometimes drank the sap of the lacquer tree (the substance used to make lacquerware).
This caused severe vomiting and diarrhea, further dehydrating the body. The chemicals in the lacquer also helped preserve the body.
3. The Process of Entering Death in the Jar
When the monk felt that the end of life was approaching, the final stage began:
1. Entering the jar:
The monk sat cross-legged inside a specially prepared large stone or wooden jar.
2. Underground chamber:
The jar was placed inside a stone chamber several meters underground.
3. Air and communication:
A thin bamboo tube was left connecting the chamber to the surface, allowing a small amount of air to enter.
4. The bell signal:
The monk would continue chanting and meditating inside the jar, ringing a small bell each day.
When the disciples on the surface could no longer hear the bell, they knew the monk had died.
5. Sealing and excavation:
The bamboo tube was removed and the chamber completely sealed.
Usually, after three years and three months, the jar would be opened.
4. Historical Distribution and Current Situation
This tradition was especially common during the Edo period in the Yamagata Prefecture area, particularly around the sacred mountains known as Dewa Sanzan, where mountain worship traditions were very strong.
• Existing mummified monks:
Today, about 17–18 preserved “living Buddhas” remain in Japan.
Many are enshrined in temples in Yamagata and Niigata Prefecture, such as Enmyō-in Temple and Nangaku-ji Temple.
• Legal prohibition:
After the Meiji Restoration, the Japanese government sought to modernize society and prevent acts considered to be suicide.
In 1872, it issued the Grave and Burial Regulation of 1872, which officially banned this extreme practice.
An Important Clarification
Although Kūkai taught the idea of attaining Buddhahood in this very body, he did not promote the extreme practice of turning oneself into a mummy while alive.
• Kūkai’s concept of “attaining Buddhahood in this body”:
It emphasized spiritual awakening—the union of consciousness with the Dharma body and the realization of enlightenment.
• Later self-mummification practices:
These were mainly developed by later mountain ascetics in northeastern Japan (especially around Dewa Sanzan).
They pushed Kūkai’s ideas to an extreme, believing that an incorruptible physical body was physical proof of Buddhahood.
