Kochi Hoin is venerated as one of the sokushinbutsu, Buddhist monks of Japan's Shugendo tradition who undertook an extreme ascetic practice of self-mummification, believed to have been achieved through prolonged fasting and meditation before death. Such mummified monks are traditionally enshrined at temples in the Tohoku region, particularly in Yamagata Prefecture, where they are regarded as having attained a state akin to living Buddhahood through their austerities. Devotees have historically visited these figures seeking blessings, including for health and healing, though such benefits reflect popular devotion rather than verified outcomes.