Kyoto
Prefecture’s Great Outdoor Buddhist Stonework Kasagiyama
Mountain Buddhist stonework 
In
the Kasagi area of southern Kyoto, people bow their heads as they passed
the giant towering boulders of Kasagiyama Mountain. No one knows how these
immense stones were created or how they have managed to stay standing. Before
such a natural miracle people have always felt powerless and for that reason
these stones have always received immense respect from all those who passed
by.Kasagiyama Mountain has long been a place for pilgrims who believed that the Gods of Shinto lived in these unique stones. When Buddhism came to Japan from China images of this religion were engraved on the faces of some of the largest of these stones. Early Buddhists (Nara Period: 710-794) used this area extensively for their spiritual training.
Today, the entire area has been turned into a park with an excellent hiking course running through it. The one-hour course starts from Kasagi-dera Temple and runs past one of its sub-temples (Shogatsu-do), stone towers, gigantic boulders, and a nature zone. Shogatsu-do, built by the monk Jicchu of Todai-ji Temple, is the first temple in Japan where the Omizutori ritual ceremony was held. This long ritual, involving much preparation and literally months of long hours of sutra reading, was later moved to Todai-ji Temple in Nara, where it is held every spring. The highlight of the hike is the Tainai Kuguri, an immense boulder that people can walk through, and the Miroku-ishi and Kokuzo-ishi, two other amazing Buddhist stone works. In the autumn season, this area is excellent for maple leaf viewing.
Tainai
Kuguri:This stone features a tunnel through it that is about
10 meters long. It marks the entrance to the mountain pilgrim course. The
stone is legendary and is said to purify the sins and evil spirits of all
who pass through it. Miroku-ishi: This 16-meter
high, 15-meter wide stone is believed to be the oldest example of Buddhist
stonework in Japan. Unfortunately, the Buddha form on the stone was wiped
out by a fire in 1331. Nevertheless, the original lines can still be traced
and it is an extraordinary work considering that it was made without the
use of any machines. Kokuzo-ishi: This 12-meter
high, 7-meter wide stone stands on a high cliff. Carved on the stone is
a sitting image of a Bodhisattava in a ten-ne robe made of bird
feathers so the Buddha could fly to heaven. According to researchers, the
engravings were carved by the monk Kobo (774-835; posthumously known as
Kukai) while he was training on this boulder. Byodo-ishi:
This stone used to be called Gyoto-ishi. Monks used to meditate around it.
In the Edo period (1600-1868) it was popular as a moon viewing spot. Underneath
the stone is a tunnel called Ari-no-to-watari
(ari is ant in Japanese, and watari means to get across). The tunnel’s
name comes from the way people in a line go through it: like ants in line.
Area Access
Take the JR Nara line from Kyoto Stn. to Kizu Stn. and then transfer to the JR Kansai-honsen line and take it to Kasagi Stn. (about 90 minutes).
Information
0743-95-2301 (Kasagi Town Public office)