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On the way back to Tsuruoka from Yudono-jinja, the hamlet of OAMI is worth a stop for its two "living Buddhas", the naturally mummified bodies of ascetic Buddhist monks who starved themselves to death. The mummies, or mira , are on display in two competing temples on either side of Oami, each a few minutes' walk from where the bus drops you next to the village store; all buses from Yudono-san to Tsuruoka stop at Oami (30min; Y780). Dainichibo (daily 8am-5pm; Y500) is the more accessible of the two temples on the east side of the village; from the bus stop, follow red signs of a little bowing monk to take a left in front of the post office and past a school; you'll see the temple's colourful flags after about ten minutes. The temple was supposedly founded in 807 AD by Kobo Daishi - after a brief purification ceremony and introductory talk, the head priest will show you the hard-working saint's staff, a handprint of Tokugawa Ieyasu and other temple treasures before taking you to the mummy. The tiny figure sits slumped on an altar, dressed in rich, red brocades from which his hands and skull protrude, sheathed in a dark, glossy, parchment-thin layer of skin. He's said to have died in 1782 at the age of 96, which is quite extraordinary when you learn that he lived on a diet of nuts, seeds and water. As the end drew closer, the monk took himself off to a cave to meditate and eventually stopped eating all together. Finally he was buried alive with a breathing straw until he expired completely. Apparently this road to enlightenment was not uncommon prior to the nineteenth century, when the practice was banned. Though it's a bit further to walk (2km), Churen-ji (daily 8am-5pm; Y500) is slightly less commercialized and more atmospheric. To reach the temple, head generally north from the bus stop on a country road. There are signs at every junction except one, where you need to take the left fork past a graveyard. Again, you receive a short talk and a purification ceremony, before entering the side hall, where the mira rests in a glass case. Another grimacing, walnut-brown figure swathed in red and gold, this little fellow reached Buddha-hood in 1829, aged 62 years.
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