The album of Postmortem Photographs was assembled by a folklorist who lived on the mountain.
His name was Keiji Watarai. He became fascinated by the custom and moved to Mt. Hikami to study how it spread through Japan.
My father seemed to take an interest in these photos as well. Strange foreign customs always fascinated him.
While he was running the inn, he helped Watarai collect Postmortem Photographs from the nearby town.
On Mt. Hikami, water itself was deified.
It seems like Watarai wanted to get a deeper understanding of this unique outlook, so he set up a house in the forest to experience it firsthand.
He was greatly aided by my father, who had already set up the inn by that point. He remodeled it from an old, unused shrine. I think he thought the extra religious heft would help attract more visitors.
One day, the folklorist went missing. Several people formed a search party, but they were unable to find a trace. Even the road to his house seemed to have been lost to the woods.
My father scoured the mountain too, but all he found was that photo album.
He was soaking wet when he got back. I remember he was acting strangely. His eyes had this curious glint... Almost like he'd been possessed by something.
The next thing I knew, my father went missing as well.
I'd forgotten about the photos until I found them in the old building, after the landslide. But now I understand why my father left. Watarai, too.
These photos are so beautiful.
Messy Note 4
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Messy Note 4 | |
| |
| Kanji | 黒く汚れたノート 四 くろく けがれた ノート し |
| Game | Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water |
| Author | Tomoki Harakawa |
| Chapter | Third Drop: Postmortem Photography |
| Located at | Mikomori Hot Springs, Rooftop |
| Obtained | After defeating the maiden |
| Description | An old note from the third floor of the inn. It looks like the innkeeper's handwriting. |
| Additional Description | There's a note here. It seems to have been singed a little by fire. |
| Related Notes | Messy Note 1, Messy Note 2, Messy Note 3 |
写真帳の弔写真は、この山に住んでいた
民俗学者が集めていたものだった。
その民俗学者、渡会啓示は日本に伝わる
神秘的な風習に魅せられて来日し、日上山
に移り住んで、その伝承を調べていた。
外国から来た民俗学者とは珍しい、と、
先代である父が協力して、この町に伝わる
弔写真を集めてまわったそうだ。
この日上山には、山に流れる水を御神体と
祭る、珍しい風習がある。
彼は当時失われつつあったその世界観を
肌で感じたいといい、山の中腹に居を構え
山の秘密に近づきたいと言っていたらしい。
無人となっていた古い社を旅館に改装した
父は、それに積極的に協力していた。
旅館の宣伝になるとでも思ったのだろう。
ある日を境にその民俗学者は行方不明と
なった。何人かが山の中を探し回ったが、
森の奥にあったはずの彼の家への道すら
見つからなかった。
先代も民俗学者を探しに山に入り、この
写真帳を抱いて戻ってきた。
全身ずぶ濡れだったが、普段とは違う、
何かに取り憑かれたような目をしていた
ことを妙に覚えている。
その後、先代も行方不明となった。
地滑りで崩れた旧館から見つけるまで
すっかり忘れていたが、今の私には、
いなくなった先代の気持ちが分かる。
民俗学者の気持ちも同じだっただろう。
この写真は、美しい。