mountain folk; hermit
Refers to people who live in the mountains, often with a nuance of being removed from ordinary society; can also imply a recluse or hermit-like figure.
They say that mountain folk once lived in these mountains.
He left the city and began living like a mountain hermit.
mountain wizard
Only with reading やまびと
Specifically read やまびと; a legendary or mystical figure living in the mountains, akin to a 仙人 (immortal sage).
See also: 仙人
In that old tale, a mountain wizard with mysterious powers appears.
pseudonym element (artist/writer)
Only with reading さんじん
Read さんじん; used as part of a pen name or artistic pseudonym, often evoking a mountain-dwelling hermit image.
He publishes his works under the pseudonym '〇〇 Sanjin'.
Standard kanji form; can be read やまびと or さんじん depending on sense.
Compound of 山 (mountain) and 人 (person). The reading やまびと is native Japanese, while さんじん is Sino-Japanese. The pseudonym usage derives from the image of a mountain-dwelling recluse.