Towering over the Kanto Plain, the sacred mountain Ōyama (literally, “Big Mountain”) has loomed large over the religious landscape of early modern Japan.

By the Edo period (1600–1868), the revered peak had undergone a transformation from secluded spiritual retreat to popular pilgrimage destination. Its status as a regional landmark among its devotees was boosted by its proximity to the shogunal capital and the wide appeal of its amalgamation of Buddhism, Shinto, mountain asceticism, and folk beliefs. The influence of the Ōyama cult—the intersecting beliefs, practices, and infrastructure associated with the sacred site—was not lost on the ruling Tokugawa shogunate, which saw in the pilgrimage an opportunity to reinforce the communal ideals and social structures that the authorities espoused.

Barbara Ambros provides a detailed narrative history of the mountain and its place in contemporary society and popular religion by focusing on the development of the Ōyama cult and its religious, political, and socioeconomic contexts. Richly illustrated and carefully researched, this study emphasizes the importance of “site” or “region” in considering the multifaceted nature and complex history of religious practice in Tokugawa Japan.

Contents
	List of Table and Figures	xv
	Introduction: The Oyama Cult in Regional History	1
		The Development of the Oshi System 5
		The Ancient and Medieval Periods 9
		The Early Modern Transformation 13
1	From a Mountain Retreat to a Pilgrimage Center	19
		Sacred Mountains in Japan 20
		A Medieval Mountain Retreat 24
		New Boundaries in the Early Modern Period 38
		Conclusion 52
2	A Regional Kogi Shingon Academy	54
		Restructuring the Monastic Complex, 1590-1618 57
		Consolidating an Early Modern Shingon Temple Complex, 
			1618-1690 66
		Full Institutional Formation, 1690-1750 69
		Institutional Tensions, 1750-1867 76
		Conclusion 81
3	The Emergence of the Oyama Oshi	84
		From Yamabushi to Oshi, 1600-1670 87
		Parishes as the Basis for Oshi Status, 1670-1700 94
		Licensing Systems and Increasing Professionalization, 
			1700-1750 97
		The Saturation of the Kanto Region and Status Differentiation, 
			1750-1800 102
		Shintoization of the Oshi, 1800-1868 106
		Conclusion 114
4	Managing the Mountain	117
		A Shogunal Prayer Temple 118
		Pilgrimage to Oyama 120
		The Clergy's Contact with Pilgrims 128
		The Oshi's Contact with Pilgrims 130
		The Oshi's Parish Rounds 133
		Conclusion 141
5	The Emergence of a Regional Pilgrimage	143
		Pilgrimage in Early Modern Japan 144
		Pilgrimage Routes to Oyama 147
		Pilgrimage Confraternities 160
		Conclusion 173
6	Reconfiguring the Pantheon	175
		The Principal Deities in the Oyamadera engi 179
		Tapping into Ancient Mythology: The Oyama jiki 182
		Devotion to Fudo and Sekison in the Oyama Fudo reigenki 186
		The Impact of Shirakawa Shinto in the Myootaro raiyu 
			and Soyo Oyama fu 193
		Nativism and the Afurijinja kodenko 198
		Conclusion 202
7	A New Order	206
		The Disassociation of Kami and Buddhas 207
		The Oshi during the Bakumatsu Era and the Restoration 212
		Dismantling the Buddhist Institutions 216
		The Creation of New Shinto Institutions 220
		Gonda Naosuke and the Great Teaching Campaign 225
		The Emergence of Oyama Keishin Kosha 230
		Conclusion 236
	Epilogue	238
Reference Matter
		Notes	247
		Works Cited	289
		List of Characters	307
		Index	317