金屋の石仏 Kanaya-no-sekibutsu Stone Buddhist Statues in Kanaya
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A couple of stone statue of Buddha is placed in a storehouse in the village of Kanaya at the southern foot of Mt. Miwayama in Sakurai City, Nara Pref. It is said that these statues were sculpted some time between the late Heian period (794-1192) and the Kamakura period (1192-1333). The statues are glyphs carved in the pieces of shale, both of which are 2.1 m tall, 83 cm wide, and 21 cm thick. The shale boards are thought to have been the lids of stone coffins. The statues were originally placed at Byodoji Temple in the vicinity and were going to be destroyed according to Haibutsu Kishaku (literally meaning abolishing Buddhism and dismissing Buddha’s teachings) by the Meiji government. However, they were protected by villagers and moved to the present small hall. On the left is Miroku Bosatsu (Maitreya) and Shaka Nyorai (Siddhartha Buddha) is on the right. Well-rounded bodies expressed with flowing lines in relief are very impressive, by which, it is said, Shiko Munakata was deeply moved.
- address
- Kanaya, Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, 633-0002
- name
- Stone Buddhist Statues in Kanaya