Summit of Mount Omine in the Mist | A 1-Hour Record of Listening Above the Clouds [EARTH’S SOUND #02]
I recorded the mystical landscape wrapped in mist at the summit of Mount Omine, a sacred peak in Nara Prefecture.Ambient guitar and the resonance of Solfeggio frequency 528Hz were layered to create a “Soundscape” that nestles into the sounds of nature. I hope you can feel even a little of this soundscape filled with silence.
Early morning recording record on Mount Omine wrapped in mist
Mount Omine in Nara Prefecture has long been known as a sacred site for Shugendo. Shugendo is a
unique Japanese mountain faith that uses mountains as places for ascetic practice. Even today, women are prohibited from entering, and it can be said that a unique spiritual culture still breathes on this mountain. The summit features a gentle hilly area covered in dwarf bamboo, known as
“Ohana-batake” (Flower Field). I started climbing Mount Omine in my 30s, and since 2007, when digital SLR video recording
became widespread, I have continued to record footage almost every year.
Why record “1 hour of natural sound”?
Initially, I only shot short cuts. However, driven by the desire to
“deliver one hour of natural sound as it is”, I began full-scale recording.
I do not perform any loop editing or cut splicing as seen in typical nature videos.
Because it is a 1-hour video recorded without editing, I believe I can convey the atmosphere and the flow of time drifting in that place.
For filming, I use a cinema camera from Blackmagic called the “BMPCC 4K (Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K),” which is also used in film production. It is characterized by its ability to record natural sounds and the fine expressions of the landscape in high definition. (▶︎
Click here for the official website )
There are many challenges such as recording time, heat generation, and battery limitations, so ingenuity is essential for operation in the field every time. Even so, this camera has responded stably to long-hour shooting without any major trouble in the nearly 7 years I have been using it. Furthermore, shooting while carrying mountaineering equipment into the mountain and staying at a temple lodging for 1-2 nights is by no means physically easy. Still, the desire to deliver the local atmosphere and time as they are is the driving force behind every recording.
The shooting day was a misty morning, 1 hour inside the clouds
The shooting was conducted from 6:00 to 7:00 in the early morning of August. The summit of Mount Omine was wrapped in thick fog, and visibility was almost non-existent. The surroundings were white and hazy, and the blue sky was visible for only a fleeting moment.
While being wrapped in a mysterious and somewhat serene feeling, as if I were inside a cloud, I proceeded with the 1-hour shooting and recording.
In my previous work, I had to spend more than twice the time of the video to avoid noise such as airplane sounds (Click here for the recording record at Hashigui-iwa).
Fortunately, this time, no airplanes passed by during the shooting, and I only needed to record for about 5 minutes longer than the video.
This video was shot 3 years ago. At the time, I was thinking of a work with only natural sounds, but during the shooting, I heard something deep in my ears.
It was not tinnitus, but definitely “the sound that is there”. It was the moment I felt the
“sound of the Earth” emerging from the silence.
Ambient guitar and 528Hz resonance
The ambient guitar I play in EARTH'S SOUND is recorded while
constantly sounding a Solfeggio frequency tuning fork. The frequency I used this time is “
528Hz”.
This 528Hz is also called the “frequency of love” or “frequency of cellular repair”, and it resonated softly with the space of Mount Omine wrapped in mist.
I strive to perform and edit the music so that it quietly accompanies and enhances the natural sounds.
Watch the finished video here (YouTube)
📺 Now available on YouTube
▶️ 528Hz Solfeggio Frequency – Mountain Mist & Wind Sounds | Ambient Guitar Nature Soundscape (No AI)
This is a video that compiles the recordings introduced in this article into 1 hour of non-looped footage and audio. No AI was used; I am delivering the sounds and scenery actually recorded on-site exactly as they are.
To enjoy the subtle nuances of the natural sounds, I recommend
listening with earphones or headphones.
Summary | Invisible Scenery, a World Felt Through the Ears
For the second installment of EARTH’S SOUND, I recorded one hour enveloped in the mist of Mount Omine. Sounds and scenery that are invisible, yet certainly there.
I hope this video provides you with a moment of quiet reflection.