Training according to the principles of bhavana, these persons have acquired superhuman-like abilities.

However, they have not completely cast aside all of their worldly desires, rather, they are separated from the drudgeries of needing to work, and now reside in Gensokyo.

Their age and longevity may be in the hundreds or even thousands of years, but they are not immortal.

If they become carelessly negligent in the pursuit of bhavana, their bodies will immediately decay into ashes.

Unlike celestials, which are poisonous to youkai, hermits are a delicacy to youkai.

A youkai who consumes a hermit may be promoted to a higher rank or ascend to a higher form.

Furthermore, if an ordinary animal consumes the flesh of a hermit, they will become a beast.

In other words, to be a hermit is to become the target of countless youkai.

As if that weren't enough, hermits are always beset by misfortune, the worst of which is that about once every hundred years, an assassin will come from Hell(*1).

During this time, if they are even a little careless in their pursuit of bhavana, and their powers weaken even a little, they will be unable to repel the threat and will fall into Hell.

It's difficult to continue living as a hermit, to say nothing of attempting to become a celestial.

As there are many kinds of humans that make up this group, it can be expected that most of them are a little peculiar.

Their everyday habits stand out from the norm, and people who don't understand their situation will mutter hostilities among themselves, eventually leading the hermits to leave from the human village.

However, the bonds of fellowship between hermits is profound, as soon as a new candidate for hermitry appears, he is taken in as a disciple, and in a manner of speaking, will be taken care of until he can stand on his own (*2).

1: The simple act of living is a sin. As the weight of that sin is as great as the lifespan, it is necessary to perform pious acts to compensate for them.

2: They are also entrusted with miscellaneous tasks.

Their everyday life is extremely modest and frugal, only eating the absolute minimum amount of food needed to live. On the first day of the month, they will nibble the fruits and nuts from various trees and, in this way, survive (*3).

Furthermore, upon reaching the age of 500, food of any kind is unnecessary, and simply ingesting fog or haze will be enough.

From the moment they wake up, they turn towards the sunrise and will recite sutras countless thousands of times (*4), only briefly during the day will they freely go out, as the sun sets, they will once again be engaged in reciting sutras.

3: Like squirrels.

4: They will use reading techniques that rotate the sutras to be recited.

These hermits who are the most alluring of humans to youkai naturally possess comparable levels of power.

Also, there are many situations of youkai exterminators who, in the course of their work, became hermits.

Because their physical bodies are aged, they may appear to be extremely fragile or vulnerable, but there are many of them take care of themselves with natural cures, and it is said that their bodies are tougher than steel.

Furthermore, they are able to learn various kinds of sorcery.

If they see something dangerous approaching a human, they will immediately come to the aid of the person and will display the utmost kindness.