Hoshi Takayuki, once a Tokyo beauty mogul, has swapped skincare for spirituality. Now known as Bala Kumbha Gurumuni, the 41-year-old is walking barefoot on the Kanwar Yatra, driven by vivid dreams and a Nadi astrology reading that revealed his past life as a Himalayan sage. His mission? Trace his soul’s roots and build Shiva temples across India.
Among the sea of saffron on the Kanwar Yatra trail to Haridwar, one figure stands apart — Hoshi Takayuki, a 41-year-old former Japanese entrepreneur who once helmed a chain of 15 beauty stores in Tokyo. Today, he’s Bala Kumbha Gurumuni, a devoted Shiva bhakt on a journey of spiritual rediscovery through Uttarakhand.
His transformation began two decades ago in Tamil Nadu, after a visit to a Nadi astrology centre. There, palm-leaf predictions revealed a past life as a Himalayan sage and a calling to return to Hindu spirituality. That revelation, paired with recurring dreams of Uttarakhand, changed everything.
Back in Tokyo, Takayuki handed over his business to his followers and turned his home into a Shiva temple. A second Nadi reading confirmed his spiritual name — Bala Kumbha Gurumuni — and deepened his resolve.
Now in India with 20 followers, he’s serving free food to fellow kanwariyas at a Dehradun camp. His vision extends beyond the yatra: he’s planning an ashram in Uttarakhand and has already acquired 35 acres in Puducherry for a grand Shiva temple, according to Ramesh Sundriyal, his long-time friend and Japan-based Indian consultant.
