Book presentation for “The art of smiling uphill ” with monk Ryōjun Shionuma
Curated by Costanza Rizzacasa D’Orsogna
Luciana Matalon Foundation, Foro Buonaparte 67, Milan
25 May 2026, 6.00 pm
On Monday 25 May at 6.00 pm, the Luciana Matalon Foundation invites you to a special event dedicated to Japanese spirituality and asceticism. The book “The art of smiling uphill” (Vallardi Editore) will be presented on this occasion. The event will be attended by the Japanese monk Ryōjun Shionuma, who recounts his extraordinary spiritual journey in the book, and the journalist and writer Costanza Rizzacasa d’Orsogna, the book’s editor.
The presentation will be followed by a book signing with the author.
SYNOPSIS
The Japanese way of turning every fall into a triumph of the spirit
Ever since he was a child, Ryōjun Shionuma has dreamed of undertaking one of the legendary pilgrimages of the Shugendō ascetic tradition. Once ordained as a Buddhist monk, for nine years, every spring, he would set out on the gruelling ascent to the sacred peaks of Mount Ōmine, braving frost, storms and mortal dangers. He thus became the only man in the modern era to complete the epic Sennichi Kaihōgyō, earning the title of ‘Living Buddha’. For this is not merely a test of strength, but a spiritual journey in which one faces the unknown, accepting even the possibility of death. One confronts fear, suffering and the temptation to give up, with the ultimate aim of freeing oneself from the tyranny of the ego to ‘place oneself at the service of others’. In an increasingly frenetic and individualistic society, this encounter is an invitation to take care of the simplest things – the water we drink, the rising sun, a flower that makes us pause – to enjoy life to the full and learn to smile in the face of every uphill struggle.
BIO
RYŌJUN SHIONUMA
Born in 1968 in Akiu, Sendai, in north-eastern Japan, Ryōjun Shionuma took his vows in 1987, a year after finishing high school, at Kinpusenji Temple on Mount Yoshino in Nara Prefecture, the centre of Shugendō asceticism. In 1999, he became the second man in 1,300 years to complete the Ōmine Sennichi Kaihōgyō (‘thousand-day circumambulation trial’), walking 48 kilometres a day for nine years from Mount Yoshino to Mount Ōmine and back, a gruelling journey. In 2000, he completed the practice of Shimugyō, or ‘the four privations’: nine days without drinking, eating, sleeping or lying down, reciting 200,000 mantras without ceasing. For his achievements, he was awarded the title of Dai Ajari, meaning Grand Master. In 2003, he founded the Jigenji Temple in his home village, which he still leads, spreading the teachings of the ‘faith of the heart’ in Japan and abroad.
COSTANZA RIZZACASA D’ORSOGNA holds a degree in creative writing from Columbia University in New York. She writes for Corriere della Sera and its cultural supplement La Lettura, and writes the column ‘anyBody – Every body counts’ for the weekly magazine 7. She has published the successful children’s story “The tale of Milo, the cat who couldn’t jump” (Guanda, 2018), whilst “Do not exceed the recommended dose” (Guanda, 2020) is her first novel.
info & contacts:
Fondazione Luciana Matalon
+39 02 878781
[email protected]
www.fondazionematalon.org
