Mt. Hikami seems to have been both revered and feared as a "mountain of death," where only those prepared to die may enter, and those who visited were never allowed to leave.
Visitors to the mountain had to pass through the shrine grove at the foot of the mountain, where shrine maidens kept strict watch in allowing only the qualified - that is, the dying - to enter.
Today, the shrine at this grove has been rebuilt as an inn, whose innkeeper kindly let me borrow records of the time period.
The records from the shrine's final year list one individual who was able to leave the mountain alive.
Kunihiko Asou
After taking his Postmortem Photographs, it seems he was invited to the mountain to photograph the maidens.
I have heard his research into the hereafter allowed him to develop a special camera.
If I could see these photos of the shrine maidens taken with this special camera, I'm certain I could come closer to unraveling the mysteries of Mt. Hikami.
When invited to the mountain, it is said he was allowed into a house visited only by a select few individuals.
If I were invited to the mountain, would I be able to reach this place, too?
I truly wish I would.
Folklorist's Notes 6
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Folklorist's Notes 6 | |
| |
| Kanji | 民俗学者の手記 六 みんぞく がくしゃ の しゅき ろく |
| Game | Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water |
| Author | Keiji Watarai |
| Chapter | Fifth Drop: The Veiled House |
| Located at | Watarai Residence, Storeroom |
| Obtained | Look up into the attic |
| Description | A notebook found in the folklorist's house. He's written about Kunihiko Aso. |
| Additional Description | The ghost left a notebook behind when it disappeared. This looks like a notebook of the folklorist's. Could that ghost just now have been...? |
| Related Notes | Folklorist's Notes 1, Folklorist's Notes 2, Folklorist's Notes 3, Folklorist's Notes 4, Folklorist's Notes 5, Folklorist's Notes 7, Folklorist's Notes 8 |
日上山は死を覚悟した者しか入ることは
許されず、また、一度入った者は生きて
出ることを許されない「死の山」として、
人々から崇め、畏れられていたらしい。
山を訪れた者は、山の麓にある巫女社を
通らねばならず、山に入る資格がある者、
つまり死す者かどうか、入山は厳しく管理
されていた。
現在、巫女社は宿として改築されている。
その主人から、当時の記録や資料を借り
受けることができた。
入山記録が残っている最後の年、生きて
山から出てきた人物が記録されている。
麻生邦彦
弔写真を撮っていた彼は、山に招かれて
巫女の写真を撮影したらしい。
異界の研究をしていた彼は、この過程で
特殊な写真機を開発したと聞く。
その写真機で撮影した巫女の写真を見る
ことができれば、日上山の神秘に
より近づけるに違いない。
彼が向かった場所は、特別に招かれた者
だけが入ることを許される屋敷。
私もこの山に招かれているのであれば、
そこで辿りつくことができるだろう。
そう願いたい。