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The Dual Aspects of Mount Ontake in KisoAuthor: Yoshie Takamatsu

See Author Details Here：Wiki (Yoshie Takamatsu)

Original Title	木曽御嶽の両面
Author	吉江喬松
Genre	Popular Fiction
Author Type	Male Author
Summary	In the Shinano Highlands, where summer clouds paint dramatic skies and whirlwinds sweep the plains, a journey unfolds along the ancient Nakasendo Highway. Travelers skirt Kikyōgahara’s edge, passing weathered post stations sustained by sericulture, their paths echoing with pilgrims’ bells. As they venture deeper into Kiso’s mountains, storms erupt without warning—torrents drenching carriages, thunder shaking valleys—while whispers of a fugitive disguised as a monk linger in rain-soaked air. The road climbs Ontake’s slopes through mist-shrouded beech forests and moss-carpeted trails, where ptarmigans ride fierce winds and clouds veil volcanic ponds. Descending Ontake’s treacherous “backside,” they navigate primeval forests of lichen-draped firs, their voices swallowed by silence broken only by distant streams. Hida’s remote hot springs offer fleeting respite before paths plunge into dwarf bamboo thickets and valleys echoing with unseen dangers. Amid downpours and fog, human settlements emerge like mirages—smoke curling from isolated huts, lanterns glowing in Takayama’s rain-drenched streets—yet the mountains remain sovereign, their depths hiding both ethereal beauty and secrets best left undisturbed. A tale of pilgrimage and peril, where every step balances wonder against the wild’s indifference.