There- Kenkon-Zan, Nihon-Ji, Nokogiri-Yama, Chiba, Japan

There being Kenkon-Zan Nihon-Ji, Nokogiri-Yama, Chiba, Japan. Or there being the home of the largest outdoor seated stone figure of Buddha in Japan at the Nihon Temple on Saw Mountain in Chiba, Japan. We took the ropeway (for years I confused ropeway with rope tow and was always happy to find a cable car rather than an old fashioned ski type rope tow) up to begin our exploration of the mountain. Unfortunately the day was overcast so we didn't have a spectacular or any view of Mt Fuji.




From the cable car we had a hazy view of Kanaya and surrounding forests.


A famous look out point Jigoku-nozoki (peep into hell).


The hundred shaku Kwannon or hundred foot Kwannon (aka Kannon, Guanyin or Goddess of Mercy).


A beautiful high rock formation with vegetation growing on and beside it.


An older stair trail no longer in use. The newer cement stairs (approx 2600 steps total-and no we didn't climb them all) are much safer but not as picturesque.


One or if one looks closely one and one-half of the 1500 stone figures of arhats that are in carved out sacred areas throughout the area.


Yes, indeed, watch your head!


Another group of Arhats. Many of these were destroyed during an anti-Buddhist movement in the Meiji period. A support group of the temple is now having them repaired and restored.



The Buddha completed in 1783 took three years to carve. It was damaged by erosion in the late Edo period and remained in this condition until restoration began in 1966. It's an image of the Ruriko Bhechadjaguru Tathagata Buddha and symbolizes the universe is a "pure field confined in a lotus world" and stands for world peace. [Information from the Temple brochure]


Notice the green growth on the halo. Many of the rocks had green moss covering parts of them.


A close up of the lovely face of the Buddha.


COMPARATIVE MEASUREMENTS
Comparison of three Buddhas - from left to right- Nokogiri-yama, Nara and Kamakura. The Buddha at Kamakura is probably the most famous Japanese Buddha.


Picture map of Nokogiri-Yama. We started at the ropeway in the upper left corner and walked downhill to the Buddha in the almost lower right corner. The map does not really show how steep the uphill and downhill steps are.


A view as we made our way back up to the ropeway. A great outing for an afternoon.