also: けんじゃ
noun
mountain ascetic; practitioner of Shugendō
Refers to a practitioner of Shugendō (修験道), a syncretic mountain ascetic tradition. The term is somewhat specialized.
See also: 修験道
修験道の験者は、厳しい山岳修行を行う。
Practitioners of Shugendō undergo severe mountain ascetic training.
From 験 (ken, 'effect, efficacy') + 者 (sha, 'person'), referring to one who has attained spiritual power through ascetic practice. The reading けんざ is a regular on'yomi combination; けんじゃ is an irregular variant.