also: すぎょうざ
Buddhist practitioner; ascetic; disciplinant
Refers to someone engaged in Buddhist training or severe self-discipline. Sense 2 (practitioner of austerities) is a natural extension of the Buddhist context.
He lives a strict life as a Buddhist practitioner at a mountain temple.
Ascetics perform severe practices such as fasting and waterfall meditation.
martial arts practitioner; martial artist in training
Used for someone seriously training in martial arts, often with a connotation of spiritual or disciplined practice.
Many martial arts practitioners gather at the dojo and train hard every day.
修験者 specifically refers to a practitioner of Shugendō, a syncretic mountain ascetic tradition, whereas 修行者 is a more general term for a trainee in Buddhism or martial arts.
Standard kanji spelling for the common reading.
Rare reading; the usual reading is しゅぎょうじゃ.
修行 (training, ascetic practice) + 者 (person). The reading しゅぎょうじゃ is standard; すぎょうざ is a rare variant.