Our Planet

Text : Chihiro Taniguchi

We have been wanting to go Mt. Gassan mountain climbing since the early spring. It had been postponed due to rain and strong wind, and finally we were able to do it on September 20th. From spending time with older children, I feel that their ability to observe, differentiate, and execute has been developed and achieved to the point that they are able to do this challenging feat.  From this perspective, naturally there have been many activities we want to achieve with them. The first step was Yamanoko Camp done in August (please refer to another column regarding the camp). At this point we were planning on climbing Mt. Gassan as a second step so we decided to climb a smaller mountain at the camp.

 

For people in Yamagata, Mt Gassan is a mountain that protects people. It is also a mountain we can see from our room everyday. I have always wanted to climb Mt. Gassan and feel the mountain with all my senses. I also knew that these children were capable of climbing it and was assured that they were able to feel the excitement and confidence afterwards.
On the day, our bus went through a light mist and we arrived at the 8th station on the north side. Our route was from Midagahara to 9th station. The weather, something we have been worried about, has cleared and the sun came out with mild wind. It seems as though Gassan is cheering us on.

 

When I started climbing, a lot of extraordinary sensory information such as the speed of cloud movement, the distance to the clouds, the coldness of the wind, and the color of the plants stimulated the children.
In response to that, there were many fresh discoveries among the children.

From the memorandum …
“The wind is so cold!! It feels like ice! “It’s the first time that a cloud came so close to me! It looks like it will reach me ~ Can I eat it? “It’s the first time I’ve come to the top of the sky! “Look! You can see the earth! ], the words straight out of their hearts are overflowing one after another.
The children seemed puzzled at first because the road was bumpy and far different from the usually flat streets they are used to walking on. Children seemed to have adjusted their bodies by tumbling and sliding many times. I could see that their bodies were learning. Their bodies were not persuaded by logic but through their senses and bodies. From their figures, I felt that I was once reminded of the strength and wisdom of the children’s bodies and spirits.

At first the children were crying and getting mad for passing each other but when the roads started to get bumpier and steeper and once they started to feel fatigue, they had no time for bickering anymore. Seeing this, I decided to talk to them about an old tale from Edo Period regarding the three Dewa mountains …

Dewa mountains consist of three mountains; Mt. Haguro, Mt. Gassan and Mt. Yudono. Mt.Haguro represents a world of present moment, Mt.Gassan represents that of the afterlife and Mt.Yudono represents a world prior to birth. After climbing all three mountains, it is said that one can go on a trip of rebirth. Everyone started to think with stern faces, as if they were thinking hard. When they started to walk again, I heard their interpretation of the story, “Wait, a minute! Does that mean we are dead now?” “I get it, we die because it is so hard to climb the mountains”. It was deeply interesting to hear how my words were translated in their heads and how it was perceived.

At the end of the hike, even though there was a long gap between the kids ahead of the group and the last end of the group, each child was able to find their own pace and walk till the end. Especially at the end, everyone was seen facing themselves. Perhaps, it was helping them to know that they were in between people who cared about them and giving them support, and perhaps the voices of their friends were cheering them on too. It’s difficult to do alone, but the presence of their friends encouraged them. You could feel the sense of unity and accomplishment that everyone worked on this mountain climbing.

Also, one of the changes that occured was the children would gradually say “Hello”, “Please go first”, “Thank you,” to people who pass by them. They were able to understand the thoughts and rules exchanged among climbers, such as giving priority to those who climbed down, giving way on narrow mountain roads, exchanging greetings and they were naturally practicing them while climbing. In half a day they had become great mountain climbers. It was a day where we learned so much about “the life among people in the mountains.”

When I went down the mountain, I saw some people swaying at their feet, probably because they were tired, and some people stumbled on a small step, but they kept their walking pace. The expression when we arrived at the 8th station, the cheering and happy expression when welcoming their friends, and the appearance of hugging and praising each other seemed to tell the whole story of the day. It was also a moment when I strongly thought someday, I want to go to the summit with everyone!

On the way back on the bus to Yamanoko after I spent all my might, the children slept well in the sunset. Looking at their sleeping face, I thought to myself, “we all gave our best”, but we returned to Yamanoko in a hurry because our return time was later than planned. When the parents greeted us with applause when the bus arrived, I was very excited with the feeling of relief and gratitude. Thank you very much for your cooperation in preparing the equipment and adjusting the schedule. We are planning for their third and fourth step. There is less than half a year since we can spend time with these children. We want to maximize what we can prepare for.

Mt. Haguro is a mountain that prays for the happiness of this world (present), Mt. Gassan is a mountain that prays for comfort and birth after death (past), and Mt. Yudono is a mountain that prays for rebirth (future). It is said that the pilgrimage of being able to be reborn as a soul spread among the common people during the Edo period as a “reborn journey” around the present, past, and future.（Quoted from the Japanese heritage Dewasanzan HP）