Buddhist
Mummies
A number of these mummies
exist on the main Japanese island of Honshu.
One unusual method of mummy
creation first occurred in Japan between the years 1000-1200 B.C.
Some Buddhist priests
attempted to mummify themselves while they were still living. To
accomplish this, the priest would go on a very strict diet for a period
of three years. He would no longer eat such foods as rice, barley, or
beans. As he began to lose weight, the priest would place large candles
around his body and light them - in effect, the priest was drying out
his body with the heat produced by the candles. By the time the priest
died of starvation, his body was practically mummified. To make sure
that mummification was complete, the body was then placed in an
underground tomb for three years before being dried out, one more time,
by candles.
No estimates of the number of
Buddhist mummies have been made.
What's special about them |
The religious devotion
required to motivate and endure such mummification practices makes them
special.
According to researchers
Kiyohiko Satamotsu Ogata, nineteen Buddhist mummies exist today in
Japan. All are found on the main island of Honshu, preserved at a number
of Buddhist temples.
Where to find more information |
 Arthur
Aufderheide's The
Scientific Study of Mummies contains
five pages about Buddhist mummies from Japan and includes three black
and white photos.
Aidan
and Eve Cockburn's Mummies,
Disease, & Ancient Cultures
has some information about these mummies including a few black and white
photographs.
Heather
Pringle's The
Mummy Congress
spends the better
part of one chapter on the subject. Although the book does not contain
any photos of the mummies, the text alone is clear and comprehensive.
Not to be missed!
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