Path to the Cliffside Temple
Nunobiki Kannon – Shakuson-ji Temple
The Nunobiki Cliff in Shakuson-ji Temple, a Tendai Buddhist temple, was founded in 724 during the Nara Period. The Kannondo Hall, suspended on a sheer cliff, enshrines Nunobiki Kannon, associated with the famous legend in which the Kannon appeared as an ox to guide an elderly woman to Zenkoji Temple. The path approaching the temple climbs through narrow cliff gaps, passing waterfalls, caves, and stone Buddhist statues in a deeply spiritual setting. Perched on the edge of the precipice stand the main hall of Shakuson-ji, the temple gate, and several other historic halls. This cliff marks *the upper part of geological layers formed about four million years ago, lifted by immense natural forces that let visitors sense the raw power of the earth.
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The path between the cliffs
Miniature shrine in the Kannnondo Hall＊
Halls and tunnel carved directly into the rock
＊The rock strata visible on Nunobiki Mountain are estimated to date back about 1.5 million years.
The Nio Gate
The Kannondo Worship Hall View from the Kannondo Worship Hall
Nunobiki Kannon as illustrated in "Zenkoji Meisho Zue", a travel guidebook from the Edo Period(1849).
