This happened during a trip to the Kumomi hot springs in Nishi Izu.
Near the Kumomi Hot Springs, at the end of a bay, there is a small mountain with a shrine called Sengen Shrine on its slope and peak.
Its name indicates that it is a volcano shrine. This is because the name of the shrine is located on Mount Fuji and Mount Asama, which are known as volcanoes.
Speaking of shrines near the sea, Watatsumi Shrine, which prays for the prevention of maritime accidents, is found all over Japan, but it is interesting that there is a Sengen Shrine in Kumomi. The reason for this is that Mt. Fuji can be seen just across Suruga Bay from the sea in front of the shrine. Fuji, so it is the perfect place to worship Mt. Fuji.
I have never visited the Sengen Shrine in Kumomi. I have stayed at Kumomi Onsen twice, and I have passed by the shrine many times.
I have never visited this shrine, although I have stayed at Unomi Onsen twice and passed by it many times.
As a mountaineer, this slope is a treat for me. I would rather walk it. However, I have never walked to the shrine or even suggested it to my companions because I felt sorry for them.
This time, Ishi, the coordinator of the trip, suggested that we climb to the shrine, so the whole family decided to try it. However, one of the family members has a mother-in-law who is almost 70 years old and three preschool children. Are you okay? Hey.
Ishi should pay more attention to the fact that it is called “Mt.eboshi” The reason it has such a name is because it is a mountain shaped like a cylinder, like the “eboshi,” a hat worn by aristocrats in ancient times. In other words, the name tells us that it is a very steep mountain.
The stone steps were much steeper than we had expected. Even I, an experienced climber, was surprised at how steep they were. The width of the stone steps was so narrow that the heel of an adult foot would stick out. Climbing the steps was fine, but you had to be very careful going down or you would lose your footing. If you step off the stone steps, you will fall to the bottom of the slope as if you were sliding down a slide.
Seeing such a steep slope, my son Takeh seemed suddenly motivated. He always tries to conserve energy by “running around the park but begging his parents to carry him on the way to the park,” but he is trying his best to climb this hill by himself. This is the first time I have seen this mysterious motivation in him. Perhaps the steep hill seemed athletic to him.
As we slowly climbed Mt. Eboshi-yama, the sun was setting just before we reached the summit. It was dangerous to go down the steep slope in the dark, so we decided to go down the mountain in the order of those who could. Ishi went down while protecting his mother-in-law, and his sister-in-law followed his nephew and niece down the mountain. I carried Takeh in my arms and descended slowly and steadily, step by step.
However, it was very difficult to descend the mountain while carrying her in my arms. The center of gravity is on the upper half of the body, and there is a difference between the left and right sides of the body due to the fact that I am carrying her. And to begin with, there is something weighing more than 12 kg in front of your body. If I were to go down the mountain in that state, I would probably fall forward and get seriously hurt.
First of all, there is no guarantee that a one-year-old child will protect you if you tell him to stand still. If he suddenly moves in any way, he will lose his balance at that moment and fall over.
Luckily, he and I were of the same mind and we were both able to descend the mountain without losing our concentration until the end.
The next morning we all laughed when we saw Mt. Eboshi from the shore.
Oh, no wonder the slope is so steep, we thought.
We had worked so hard to climb such a joke of a mountain. But it was a good memory. I probably won’t forget it even 10 years later. But Takeh, my son, will not remember anything about it.
(2023.02.13)
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