Written River Winter Solstice Issue
Loosely based around the theme of "mountains," this issue features an interview by Frank Owen from Bodhiyatra Poetry with the filmmakers of Shugendō Now.
A realivtly unknown film/concept in the west, this feature documentary is an experiential journey into the mystical practices of Japanese mountain asceticism. In Shugendô (The Way of Acquiring Power), practitioners perform ritual actions from shamanism, "Shintô," Daoism, and Tantric Buddhism. They seek experiential truth of the teachings during arduous climbs in sacred mountains. Through the peace and beauty of the natural world, practitioners purify the six roots of perception, revitalize their energy and reconnect with their truest nature – all while grasping the fundamental interconnectedness with nature and all sentient beings.
More poetic than analytical, this film explores how a group of modern Japanese people integrate the myriad ways mountain learning interacts with urban life. With intimate camera work and a sensual sound design the viewer is taken from deep within the Kumano mountains to the floating worlds of Osaka and Tokyo and back again.
Joining these voices are poets Andrea Witzke Slot, Robin Scofield, T. Parker Sanborn, Francine Tolk, Frank Owen, Jenny Ward Angyal, Peter Neil Carroll, William Cullen, Jr. and J.K. McDowell. As well as the landscape photography of Duncan George, Jamie K. Reaser and Teresa Conner.
Immerse yourself in the Written River!
Open publication - Free publishing - More eco-poetics
L.M. Browning is an Associate Editor of Written River: A Journal of Eco-Poetics. For more information on the journal visit: www.hiraethpress.com
