This oiwakeishi 追分石 (literally, “crossing stone”) bears the inscription 「右 湯殿山、左 大滝山」 — “Mt. Yudono to the right, Otakiyama to the left.” Following the direction indicated for Otakiyama leads to the Otaki Falls, approximately a 40-minute walk from this point.

In this context, we have chosen to translate Otakiyama by its topographical name rather than as “Mt. Otaki,” as no road or pilgrimage route now leads to the actual summit of Mt. Otaki. Visitors are therefore asked not to attempt to reach Mt. Otaki itself.

Near the Otaki Falls stand several stone steles. These include monuments commemorating the ascetic training of Tetsumonkai, the sokushinbutsu (self-mummified monk) of Churenji Temple, as well as a stele dedicated to Yama no Kami, the Mountain Deity.

Turning right at the crossing instead leads toward Mt. Yudono, where one encounters a stone monument known as the Yudonosan-hi. This stele was erected in 1864 by workers affiliated with the Akita Domain.

Historical records indicate that the inhabitants of the surrounding villages were deeply displeased that the monument had been erected by an outside domain, as the area traditionally fell under the authority of the Shonai Domain. In an act of symbolic protest, locals carved the character for “tree” (木) beside the character 秋 (Aki), transforming it into 楸, a visually altered form meant to subtly distort and undermine the name of the Akita Domain.