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Pulling the paper sliding door, I opened the window. The scent of lush greenery and fresh air flowed into the warmed room. Although it was March, the morning in the mountain village was quite cold.
“Hmm,the air is wonderful.”
I spent the night with my senior at a nearby inn and welcomed the morning.
“It’s cold! Close the window!”
My senior, wrapped up in a futon like a caterpillar, complained.
“We have plans to meet the former mayor this morning. We need to get up and get ready soon.”
“Why do we have to gather at 8 in the morning? The old man is such an early bird, and it’s a hassle.”
” Jinguichi -sama, Iwaro-sama, breakfast is ready.”
Through the entrance door, I heard the hesitant voice of the maid.
“Sorry, I’ll wake him up now.”
I pulled my senior out of the futon, changed from a yukata to regular clothes, had breakfast, and left the inn.
“There’s not a single sign of human presence here.”
We continued on the path that was just a slight incline like an animal trail. Trees were planted evenly around them, and the lower branches were neatly trimmed off. They were probably forestry trees.
Even though it was a sunny day, the sunlight was blocked out, and it was dim.
“It’s not normal to build a facility for residents in such a remote location like this.”
As we walked through the forest, my senior’s complaints didn’t stop.
“Didn’t the innkeeper say so? It used to be connected to a proper road, but it was closed due to a landslide.”
“Still, do the villagers use this road every time? It’s not good for their health.”
“That’s not a bad thing, is it? And if there’s a rumored village on the other side of this mountain, it’s convenient to be able to go there after hearing about it.”
Last night, we checked the map and found that the community center and the former village were located on the other side of the mountain.
“By the way, didn’t you put something in the mailbox earlier?”
“Oh, yeah. It was from my niece. She’s the reason for this troublesome request.”
“Your extra research is your own fault, senior. Come on, let’s stop complaining and move our feet.”
As we walked for about five minutes, our destination came into view.
Suddenly, our vision opened up, and we saw a gray object standing alone with the river in the background. It looked like nothing more than a ruin buried in the forest. Is this building safe?
It was a reinforced concrete structure with no decorations. Its dirty exterior could not hide its age. There was a sign that read “Community Center” outside, so we should be in the right place.
Although we could see a one-lane road along the river, it remained blocked by soil and sand a little further ahead.
“Senior, this seems to be the place.”
“It’s more magnificent than I imagined. It must have been even livelier when there were more residents here.”
Looking through the window, I could see a room that could fit about a hundred people if they squeezed in. Pipe chairs were arranged around a gas stove, and two men were sitting there. One was a villager I spoke to yesterday, and the other was an elderly man who might have been the former mayor. He had no hair on his head, but instead, he had long white beard. He looked quite thin and old, but his back was not bent.
I wondered if these people had walked all the way here. Country folk seem to be quite healthy and robust. When our eyes met through the glass, the villager stood up, nodded and opened the large window.
“Please, come on in from here.”
Although there was a proper entrance, we were encouraged to enter through the window. The window was only slightly higher than my height, so it was possible to enter by bending down, but was it okay to do so?
“Well, don’t hesitate.”
My senior quickly discarded his shoes outside the window and put on the slippers provided. I hurriedly followed suit. The villager handed us teacups filled with hot tea, which was much appreciated in this cold weather.
“Hello there. I heard you want to hear about the Nanakagami Village story.”
The former mayor had a loud voice and spoke very clearly. Judging from his friendly attitude and expression, it was easy to believe that he was a former mayor.
“Yes. I work for a magazine company.”
“Oh, yes, yes. I’ve heard about that.”
Without accepting the business card my senior offered, he nodded twice vigorously.
“In that big fire, everyone in the village died. They were a strange village that refused to have any dealings with outsiders. Those who know about it in detail are probably only me,” the speaker said.
Looking up at the ceiling with a nostalgic expression, he continued, “Although the people of the village refused contact with outsiders, there were some who did not agree with this rule. My friend was treated like an outcast in the village for not following this rule.”
Not everyone follows strict rules or traditions, especially young people who may find them burdensome and restrictive.
“I see,” the listener responded with a nod, prompting the speaker to continue.
“It’s because it’s a strange village. According to what I’ve found out, their ancestors were mountain ascetics who practiced to obtain the Six Divine Arts known as ‘Rokushintsu.'”
“What are these Rokushintsu?” I asked, feigning ignorance to encourage the speaker to keep talking.
“As the name suggests, it seems to be the power of six gods. If I remember correctly… they are Tenmitutsu, Tengantsu, Shinsokutsu, Shukumeitsu, Tanshintsu, and Roshintsu.”
“Oh, I see. There are six types, so they’re called the Rokushin(Six Divine Arts). And the last part ‘tsu’ is added.”
“I might be wrong because I don’t remember the details, but the Rokushin is comprised of six different abilities. And if you add the suffix ‘Tsuu’ at the end, it becomes Rokushintsuu.”
The speaker counted on their fingers while explaining.
“Shinsokutsu(Divine Leg) allows one to move quickly and go wherever they want. Tenmitutsu (Heavenly Ear) enhances hearing so that one can hear everything. Tengantsu (Heavenly Eye) enables the user to see anything, including visions of death or reincarnation. Tashintsu(Other Mind Tsu) allows one to read others’ minds. As for Shukumeitsu (Fate Tsu)…I forget what that one does. Oh, that’s right. It allows one to see the past and future.”
The mayor explained while counting on his fingers.
“Also, Roshintsu was described as the ultimate goal of abandoning earthly desires or something like that. I really didn’t understand it even when I asked for more details.
It seemed to be similar to the psychic abilities that I know of.
Divine Leg was like teleportation
Heavenly Eye was like clairvoyance
Other Mind Tsu was like telepathy
Fate Tsu was like precognition
Heavenly Ear is…. Enhanced hearing?
But Heavenly Ear was a bit confusing.