Mountains: Mt. Iwadono 岩殿山 & Mt. Tenjin 天神山
Station: Otsuki
Mt. Iwadono is one of the first mountains I ever climbed in Japan. My first climb dating all the way back to 2012, it was a very easy hike from Otsuki station. The kowaze trail head is about a 15 minutes walk from the station, followed by another 20~30 minutes for the actual climb. It's an ideal place for an outdoor picnic in spring with stunning views of Mt. Fuji and the surrounding area. For those who want a bit more of a challenge, there is another trail starting from the backside of the mountain, which takes about 60~90 minutes from the station to the summit.
However, there is still much more to this mountain range than meets the eye. Just a few meters below the lookout point, there is a sign pointing towards another trail marked in read "Dangerous route with chains ropes". It was only until December 2022, that I decided to challenge this course. As I was researching the path, I learned about its historical significance.
The great tragedy of the Oyamada child
(There was little information available even in Japanese, so this was my best attempt to translate the historical legend. I'm not sure how accurate the sources were or my translation, but this is the best interpretation of the story I could create. If you have some corrections, please DM and I will fix)
In the 1540s, the Oyamada samurai clan had built a castle along the pass to Tokyo. They served the Daimyo Oda Nobunaga until there was a terrible falling out. The leader, Nobushige Oyamada (小山田信茂) was executed by Nobunaga’s officers. His family was hunted to ensure no heir would seek revenge later in life. So, the remaining women and children of the Oyamada clan had to escape during the downfall of the castle. They took a traverse from the Katemon Gate to the Otemon Gate, Kabutoiwa, and the large rock wall of the Kowari Valley. According to the story, Nobushige's wife, Princess (姫) Chidori Oyamada took her child down from her back and nursed it, but it did not stop crying, which made the other children started crying as well. The crying began to alert the enemy warriors, who would soon discover the family and kill them all.
The group was at a loss for what to do, so in a moment of grief and desperation one of the members grabbed the child, placed him in a basket and dropped him off a large rock face. The group then fled with the remaining survivors in the direction of the Daibosatsu Mountains. The cliff later became known as the “Chigō Toshi” (the child drop). The name “chigō” "child" was a term of endearment used only for children of the lord class, and was unfamiliar to the people of this region. Most of the clan were eventually caught and exterminated as they tried to flee. The Oyamada wife was so mentally & physically exhausted that she could no longer endure the dark night on the mountain path, and she decided to part ways with the remaining surviving followers, and with tears in her eyes, she took the tsuzura (straw box) she had received and hurried to Tokoji Temple in Owada-go. It is said that due to the grief of what she had done, the wife of Oyamada committed suicide under the floor of a nearby temple.
The temple's head priest said that the local people still wish to restore the Oyamada family's grave. A tombstone related to the Oyamada clan was damaged in the mid-Edo era. In later years, her child's armour was found and it was handed down to the relatives. There was a story that one child somehow survived the fall and was raised by another family. At the time, no one in the township told the story for fear of the power of Oda and Tokugawa, who occupied the Province. And so, as the story goes, the spirit of Oyamada’s child was later enshrined in a small shrine of "Tenjin-sama" (God of Heaven), where it remains to this day. This rock wall is a dangerous climb and so not many people travel to such a place, but if they pass the wall, they may find the child’s shrine at the summit of the nearby mountain - Mt Tenjin."
Climbing Mt. Iwadono from the Oni's Lair
So in late December 2022, myself and hiking friend Nadia decided to try the full course. The original plan to was to reach Mt. Iwadono's summit from the standard trail, but we realized that trail had been blocked off. So, we walked along the main road and started from the Hatagura Trailhead. Not even 5 minutes up the trail is an interesting cavern called the "Oni's Lair/Cavern"[Oni-no-iwaya] with a little shrine inside. The path up to Mt. Iwadono's summit is fairly short, but a little bit steep at points. It took us about an hour to hit the top. From there, it was only a matter of finding the path that leads towards Mt. Tenjin, which I had somehow missed several times. The trail to Mt. Tenjin begins just a bit below the San-no-Maru Ruins Observation Deck with a red warning sign to scare off novice hikers. From here onward, the course is about to change quite significantly.
The Path to Mt. Tenjin
The road quickly begins to descend fairly steeply, but isn't anything that we hadn't encountered before. Soon afterwards, we passed under a power line tower, and then began to ascend again. Eventually, we reached a sign fork, which gave us two options to reach the top of Helmet Rock (kabuto-iwa): Chain Wall climb or the Forest road. We decided to give the chain wall climb a chance. I climbed 2/3 up the chain wall, but my hiking friend was reasonably hesitant since it was quite steep (similar level to Mt Myogi) and we didn't have any proper safety gear. Also, while climbing down my thermos fell out of my backpack down the cliff. We tried to get it, but it was just out of reach. I hope another hiker is able to reach it and enjoy for themselves... because I don't like to litter, but also don't feel like falling off a cliff for a thermos. We double backed and tried out the Forest trail, which was actually quite a challenge itself as it was a very steep and narrow footpath covered in fallen leaves. There was still a bit of a steep rope climb at the end, but still much easier than the chain climb. From the top of Helmet Rock, we had to take a long rope trail down the hill which was a bit technical as the path was muddy. Afterwards it was a standard trail to the summit of Mt. Tenjin. At the top, we saw the small shrine of the dropped child (although we didn't know its significance at the time).
The Chigo-Tōshi Traverse
From the top of Mt. Tenjin, we followed a relatively flat path which opens up to a clearing where you can see the full view of the Chigo-Tōshi cliff. Its a great spot for a panoramic photo, but just don't go too close to the edge. Next, there is a small 3 minute climb which quickly takes you to the top of the cliff. The path takes you right over the cliff. Its a fairly safe and flat route, but you definitely want to watch your step. Those who have a fear of heights should not look to their left when traversing this cliff.
Once we were both safely on the other side, we quickly continued down the trail. The path becomes a standard trail with a couple small chains and ropes, but nothing that even a novice hiker couldn't handle. At the base there was a useless sign: left to Otsuki station or right to Otsuki station - we decided to take the left route. The trail passed by a blue house where the friendly resident was outside and wished us well. We then walked along the road under a very tall highway bridge, and ended up at cafe gusto for a well earned post-hike meal.
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