Encyclopaedia of Ancient, Obscure and Esoteric East Asian Religious Practices

A public, searchable preservation of the v3.3 research corpus on historical practices in Buddhism, Daoism/Taoism, Shintō, Shugendō, Onmyōdō, Mikkyō, and related syncretic traditions. This is a research encyclopaedia — not a blog and not a contemporary practice manual.

368 canonical entries

641 source layers

v3.3 corpus edition

Browse by tradition

Buddhism

Contemplation, dhāraṇī, Vinaya, Mikkyō.

Daoism

Registers, fu, inner and outer alchemy, liturgy.

Shintō

Purification, norito, shrine and court rites.

Shugendō

Mountain entry, goma, ascetic complexes.

Onmyōdō

Directional taboo, henbai, calendrics.

Shinbutsu-shūgō

Combinatory kami–buddha systems.

Taboos & restrictions

Authorization, secrecy, pollution, hazard.

Visual archive

Image targets with rights metadata.

How to read this encyclopaedia

1. Historical procedure means what sources describe — not a claim that supernatural effects are scientifically established.
2. Restricted rites are retained. Authorization status is part of the historical record.
3. Hazardous material is labeled and framed as evidence, not modern optimization advice.
4. Repeated entry numbers may hold multiple research layers. Milestone-1 pages preserve every layer; many are marked needs-review.

Use site search (keyboard /) for titles, aliases, and original-language terms. Prefer the faceted catalogue for structured filters.