Juroku Rakan Iwa (Sixteen Arhats Rock)
Main Image Juroku Rakan Iwa (22 rock-carved Buddhist figures) Category Other
Impression TagsMysteryDepthSolemnity
DescriptionA group of 22 rock-carved Buddhist figures on an andesite reef along the Sea of Japan coast at Fukuura in Yuza Town, formed from lava that flowed from Mount Chokai. In 1864, Kankai, the 21st abbot of Kaizenji Temple in Fukuura, initiated the project to pray for fishermen who had lost their lives in the rough waters of the Sea of Japan, for maritime safety, for the flourishing of Buddhism, and for the salvation of all beings. Directing local stonemasons, he completed the carvings five years later in 1868. The group consists of the Sixteen Arhats together with Shaka Nyorai, Monju Bosatsu, Fugen Bosatsu, Kannon, Shariputra, and Maudgalyayana, for a total of 22 figures. It is regarded as the only rock-carved Buddhist group of this scale on the Sea of Japan coast. The site can be visited outdoors free of charge, and prayers for maritime safety are still offered at the annual Juroku Rakan Festival each July.
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