CUSTOMIZED PRIVATE TRAINING
CUSTOMIZED PRIVATE TRAINING
Ultimate personalised journey of discovery under the guidance of yamabushi and Zen masters on the sacred Dewa Sanzan mountains.
The Program
The Haguro Yamabushi understood that to be able to appreciate life and live it to the fullest, acceptance was key. So much so, their core philosophy is built around it. Translated as I accept, Uketamo is the Haguro yamabushi philosophy and way of life developed through ascetic training in the greatest dojo the Haguro yamabushi knew, the three Dewa Sanzan mountains here in north Japan.
We wanted to provide individuals and small private groups the same opportunity to discover what the Dewa Sanzan yamabushi have known for millennia, without having to do more intense yamabushi shugyo (such as the Masters or Basic Shugyo).
So, we teamed up with local yamabushi Sendatsu (masters) and Zen masters to create the ultimate personalised Uketamo experience. We call it The Yamabushido Customized Private Training.
The Experience
Following orientation in a Zen temple, you will be led straight into the wilderness of the Dewa Sanzan peaks under the guidance of your very own bilingual yamabushi Sendatsu.
Everything about The Yamabushido Customized Private Training is personalised, including the starting date. You can choose to come with a small group, as a couple, or make it a solo experience. Unlike yamabushi shugyo done in silence, this is a pilgrimage-style program where yamabushi masters guide participants through the history of the Three Mountains of Dewa, making it suitable for those visiting the mountains for the first time. Set against the backdrop of the sacred sites, take the chance to experience something completely different not found anywhere else.
Day One : Disconnection in Zen Monastery
Your venture begins with orientation and an introduction to Zen Buddhist approaches to acceptance in a Zen temple. This is your opportunity to disconnect from the everyday world and gain insights from the world of Zen Buddhism in preparation for what’s to come.
Days Two to Seven: Yamabushi Guided Hike on the Dewa Sanzan Mountains
From Day Two, your adventure into the mountains begins with a yamabushi-guided hike on Mt. Haguro, the world of the present and traditional starting point for journeys on the Dewa Sanzan. On Day Three, the hike intensifies with a pilgrimage and stay on Mt. Gassan, tallest of the three peaks representing the world of the afterlife or the past, or a mountain with similar stature. Day Four takes you to Mt. Yudono, the mountain of rebirth representing the world of the future. The week finishes off with two days of self-reflection and reconnection to our daily lives through yamabushi-based activities back on Mt. Haguro.
LOCATIONS
The Customized Private Training takes place on the sacred Dewa Sanzan mountains; Mt. Haguro, Mt. Gassan and Mt. Yudono, training ground for yamabushi and a destination for spiritual journeys for centuries. Traditionally and among select groups today, the Dewa Sanzan is a unique hub of animistic Shinto and Buddhist fusion, where different forms of Japanese spirituality blend into one. They represent the world’s of the present, the past, and the future respectively.
MT. HAGURO
Mt. Haguro represents the present. The Haguro hike climbs 2,446 stone steps, which pilgrims have walked for more than 1,000 years.
MT. GASSAN
Mt. Gassan is the mountain for the souls of the dead. It is the highest of the three sacred mountains. It represents the past, the things that we want to let go of.
Mt. YUDONO
Mt. Yudono represents the future, and the possibility of new potential after rebirth, and casting off the past.
DATES
The Customized Private Training is available on dates you decide when the three Dewa Sanzan mountains are open between July and October. Contact us with dates that work for you.
MASTER HAYASAKA
Born and raised at the foot of Mount Haguro, Master Hayasaka is the 17th generation proprietor of Daishinbo Pilgrimage Lodge. After attending university in Tokyo, he moved to Sendai for work. At 29, he returned to Mount Haguro and became a Yamabushi, in order to carry on the family business. His hobbies are intertwined with the mountains, including hiking, skiing, and foraging for mountain vegetables. Until his father’s generation, Daishinbo was one of only two lodges which facilitated the Fuyunomine Winter Peak Ritual, one of the most intense ascetic traditions in these mountains.
ACCOMMODATION
Accommodation will be at a Zen temple, Pilgrim Lodges at the base of Mt. Haguro, and in the mountain lodges of Mt. Gassan and Mt. Yudono.
Daishobo Pilgrim Lodge at the base of Mt. Haguro
Bussho’ike Hut at Mt. Gassan’s Ninth Station.
Zenpoji Zen Temple
The Shrine Gates of Mt. Yudono in front of the Yudono-san Sanrojo lodge.
MEALS
Meals during the Yamabushi Reset Program are Shojin Ryori (ascetic cuisine). There will also be other locally sourced teas and snacks available throughout.
Dewa Sanzan Shojin Ryori (ascetic cuisine)
Tea Ceremony at Gyokusenji Temple
GEAR
During the experience, you will be given your own traditional pilgrim set to keep; a gyoi pilgrim jacket, shime talisman necklace, and to top it all off, jikatabi split-toed shoes and socks. Items such as a Kongodzue, yamabushi staff, Amigasa straw hat, and white bags will be lent out free of charge.
If you find the split-toed shoes aren’t for you, no problem. Simply put on your normal hiking shoes instead.
GALLERY
Interested?
Get in touch by contacting us here. Options and customized experiences are also available.
SHUGYO PROGRAMS
MASTERS SHUGYO
Weeklong experience that takes place on all three of the Dewa Sanzan: Mt. Haguro, Mt. Gassan, and Mt.Yudono. Includes waterfall meditation. Only limited places available.
BASIC SHUGYO
Five-day Yamabushi experience under the direction of a certified Yamabushi master. This program has less physical demand than the Masters Yamabushi Training Program, yet maintains the core rituals including waterfall meditation and is just as intense, making it the perfect initiation into the world of the Yamabushi.
YAMABUSHI RESET TRAINING
Reset body and mind with the Yamabushi Reset Training, a three-day program on Mt. Haguro that incorporates core elements of yamabushi training and Zen Buddhism with more modern methods of reflection focused on a spiritual reset of body and mind.