Sendachi-Guided Mt. Omine Shugendo Training Tour

We will pick you up at Yamato-Yagi station in Kashihara City, Nara Pref. and take you via chartered car to Tenkawa Village. Or if you wish, the pick-up point can be changed via your request with an additional fare. Upon arrival in Tenkawa, check into your ryokan, followed by a visit to the Tenkawa Daibenzaiten-sha Shrine. This is considered to be the foremost of Japan’s three great shrines honoring the deity Benzaiten, one of the seven gods of good fortune. This shrine has been a key spot for Shugendo practices since ancient times, with high ranking priests and Shugendo practitioners visiting together for purposes of worship. A priest of the shrine will make a prayer for your safe passage on Mt. Omine.


After the visit to the shrine, go back to the ryokan and spend the rest of the day at your leisure. We recommend taking some time to walk along the main street of Dorogawa after dark to see the Edo-period atmosphere created by the glowing lanterns of the ryokans.

Enjoy a dinner featuring local ingredients at your ryokan, take a dip into the onsen, and have a good rest to prepare for the next day!

Rise early in the morning and enjoy the fresh mountain air. Have a hearty breakfast at your ryokan and dress in provided white clothing for entering the sacred mountains.

Start the morning off with a visit to Ryusen-ji Temple. This temple was established by En no Gyoja, the founder of Shugendo, in the middle of the 7th century. Before entering Mt. Omine, you will participate in an ancient ritual known as “suigyo” that involves immersing yourself in the sacred spring water of the temple while a priest recites sutras to purify the body and pray for safety on the journey ahead.

Mt. Omine is, for many Shugendo practitioners, the most sacred mountain in the faith and the location of the first known Shugendo temple, Ominesan-ji, founded over 1,300 years ago by En no Gyoja. You will be guided on the mountain for a 7 hour trek by an experienced Shugendo sendachi guide who will instruct you on the ancient path’s shugyo practices, which you will be allowed to participate in directly.

After walking down from Mt. Omine, visit Ryusenji Temple again in the evening to participate in a special fire ritual known as “goma.” Concluding your day with the last of the Shugendo practices, you will be filled with a unique sense of accomplishment and fulfillment that few others have had the chance to experience.

After the day's events have concluded, return to your ryokan and bathe in the healing waters of a natural onsen just as Shugendo practitioners have done here for centuries before.

After breakfast at your ryokan, enjoy the day at your leisure, further exploring the beautiful mountain town of Dorogowa, shopping for souvenirs, or perhaps just kicking back and relaxing at a local restaurant or café. Whatever you choose to do, the tour will wrap up when we return you to Yamato Yagi station. Or if you wish, the drop-off point can be changed by request with an additional fee.