Kyoto
Prefecture’s Great Outdoor Buddhist Stonework For
excellent hiking and powerful religious impressions The Tono area of Kamo-cho is full of all kinds of Buddhist stone sculpture ranging from gigantic boulders to tiny statues that sit quietly in the forest. Tono was a highly active Buddhist study area from the Heian period (794-1185). These stone carvings and statues are believed to have been created to protect people walking to and from the many temple and training places in the area. This area is also well known for the 2.5 km hiking route that links Gansen-ji Temple to Joruri-ji Temple. Below is an introduction to just a few of the stone works in the area.
(1)Amida
(Amitabha Buddha) Sanzon MagaibutsuThis is probably the most famous stone Buddha among of all the stonework in the Tono area. It is also known by another name: Waraibotoke (Smiling Buddha). Like servants welcoming us into the next life, a Kan-non Bodhisattva (Goddess of Mercy) stands on the left of the main statue and a Seishi Bodhisattva on the right.
(2)Fudomyo-o
(Acalanatha Buddha) MagaibutsuThis is believed to have been engraved on a huge local boulder in the Kamakura period (1185-1333). This massive figure holds a sword in its right hand as a way to rebuke human foolishness. The figure is said to grant one wish to everyone that prays before it. Below the statue, a natural spring gushes forth.
(3)Yabu-no-naka Sanzon Magaibutsu
These three Budhhist figures are believed to have been carved in the mid Kamakura period (1185-1333): Jizo in the middle, Amitabha Buddha on the left, and Kadasamukha (an Eleven-faced Kan-non) on the right. The proportions and design are impressive and the overall appearance of the work lends a sense of divinity to its surroundings.
(4)Daimon Amida Magaibutsu
This is the oldest and largest stone Buddha in the area. It is located a little way from the hiking course. According to Buddhist scholars this figure is either an Amitabha Buddha or Maitreya Buddha, however no-one has managed to prove either case. When it was made is also unclear, though evidence indicates that it was probably made somewhere between the early Nara (710-784) and the mid Kamakura period (1185-1333).
Area Access
1) Take the JR Nara line to Kizu Station. Then transfer to the JR Kansai-honsen line and take it to Kamo Station. 2) Take a Nara Kotsu Bus from Nara Station to Joruriji-mae bus stop.
Kamo town tourist association: 0774-76-2970.
