Lay persons or monks in "yamabushi" gear who go into rigorous training outdoors in the mountains often pray to small Acala statues or portable talismans that serve as his "honzon". This element of yamabushi training, known as Shugendō, predates the introduction of Acala to Japan. At this time, figures such as , who appeared before the sect's founder, En no Gyōja, or Vairocana, were commonly worshiped. Once Acala was added to list of deities typically enshrined by the yamabushi monks, his images were either portable, or installed in "hokora" (outdoor shrines). These statues would often be placed near waterfalls (a common training ground), deep in the mountains and in caves.