One of Japan's Largest Important Cultural Properties: Kumano Magaibutsu, plus Maki Odo, Futago-ji, and Kawanaka Fudo...

After fully enjoying the Fukiji Odo hall before checking out of 'Fuki no To,' I chartered a taxi for the day to tour the Magaibutsu (cliff-carved Buddhas) and temples of Kunisaki. First and foremost, we headed to the Kumano Magaibutsu, which is designated as a National Important Cultural Property and boasts being one of the largest cliff-carved Buddhas in Japan. This is because it requires quite a climb, and it was certain to be a test of physical endurance. The entrance looks like this ↓.

And what you see after climbing quite a bit is these 'Oni (Demon) Stairs.' It's a good thing there's a handrail, but the footing is quite poor. It made me feel faint.

After 99 steps of steep, grueling stairs (they were so rickety I couldn't even tell how they were counted), the view suddenly opened up, and the figures of giant Buddhas appeared before my eyes.

On the front left stands the Fudo Myoo, one of the largest in Japan (the largest in Japan is apparently the 11-meter one in Bungo-ono), towering at about 8 meters tall, and in the back right is the Dainichi Nyorai, said to be the oldest cliff-carved Buddha in Japan (late Heian period). A paradise of Heian Buddhism spread out before us at the top of the demon stairs. Everyone who climbed the stairs looked up at the Buddhas with exclamations like 'Wow' or 'Oh.' It was a site that seemed to capture the very moment when the ancient Japanese nature worship of praying to 'iwakura' (sacred rock formations) merged with Buddhism after its introduction. This is the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism.

The Dainichi Nyorai from the late Heian period, said to be one of the oldest cliff-carved Buddhas in Japan, had its hair curls carved clearly one by one, and its face was truly distinct. After huffing and puffing my way down the stairs, I glanced at the stone Nio statues of Taizo-ji Temple...

Next, we went to Maki Odo, which also houses a group of Important Cultural Property Buddhist statues. There are nine large Buddha statues said to date from the late Heian to Kamakura periods. Photography is prohibited, so I will borrow images from the official website to convey the atmosphere. They were large, beautiful, and imposing Buddhas. It was my first time seeing such a large Daiitoku Myoo.

After Maki Odo, we stopped by the Dozan Magaibutsu, located near an observation space overlooking the Yaba, known as the Sannomiya Scenery. The stairs were longer and steeper than I expected, and I was out of breath again.

The Fudo Myoo of the Dozan Magaibutsu was slender, unlike the Fudo Myoo of the Kumano Magaibutsu. There is no sign at the entrance, so you might miss it if you're not careful. From here, we head straight for the deepest part of the Kunisaki Peninsula, Futago-ji Temple.

Futago-ji is known for its stone Nio statues and its Oku-no-in, but the way the Oku-no-in is embedded into the rocky terrain really makes one feel its connection to Iwakura worship. In the darkness beside the hall, there is an entrance to a place of worship in the rocky area behind the hall.
Next, I crossed about two ridges, descended the valley towards Bungotakada, and headed for Tennin-ji Temple, where the Kawanaka Fudo is located.

The Fudo-son and two attendants are carved into a massive rock in front of a weir in the mountain stream. It is speculated that they were carved for river flood control, but I was simply awestruck by the faith of the people who carved something of this scale in this location before the Muromachi period.
Then, I passed straight through the town of Bungotakada and headed to Usa Jingu, the origin of the temples and Magaibutsu (cliff-carved Buddhas) of the Kunisaki Peninsula's Rokugo Manzan. Fuki-ji Temple had a connection to Miroku-ji, which was the Jinguji (shrine-temple) of Usa Jingu, and the legendary Ninmon Bosatsu, who is said to have opened the other temples, has been considered one and the same with Hachiman-shin.

A world of vermilion spreads out here, completely different in atmosphere from the stone Buddhas of Kunisaki. The main hall and the Kure-bashi bridge were open to the public at the time.

The Haraedo, located between Miroku-ji and the Lower Shrine, was a mystical place jutting out into a clear pond. I remembered that in the Usa volume of Ryotaro Shiba's "Going Along the Highways," he wrote that he speculated Usa Hachiman originated from the Komo-jinja Shrine in Nakatsu, and that it might have been the deification of an ancient irrigation pond.