Usuki Stone Buddhas (Buddha figures carved in rock)

These are figures of Buddha carved in rock (magaibutsu)* in Usuki City, Oita Prefecture, that have been designated a national treasure.

More than 60 figures were carved into a rock face created by hardened volcanic ash and molten rock that erupted from Mt. Aso (Kumamoto Prefecture) approximately 90,000 years ago.”

The figures are believed to have been carved from the Heian period (794–1185) to the Kamakura period (1185–1333), but who carved them and why remains unknown. They remain shrouded in many mysteries.”

All the figures of Buddha are carved into the rock and cannot be moved. For around 1,000 years, they have continued to watch over us from the same spot.

In June 1995, the magnificent carvings were recognized as the first figures of Buddha carved in rock (magaibutsu)* to be designated a national treasure in Japan.

The Usuki Stone Buddhas have earned great international appreciation as cultural heritage due to the number of figures, their beauty, and the remarkable carving techniques used despite the solid rock faces.

(*Magaibutsu are figures of Buddha directly carved into rock faces.)

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The Ruins of Usuki Castle

This is the former residence of a Christian Saumrui lord, Sorin Otomo. Therefore, it is said that alphabet-like letters were carved on the stone walls and there was a chapel in the castle and a Christian school in the town surrounding the castle. When it was constructed, it was a castle on the island named “NIbu-shima,” and a natural fortress with perfect defense due to the surrounding sea.   

After Ootomo family, Inaba family took over the Usuki domain and ruled it for 15 generations. After Meiji restoration, the castle was torn down. 

It was constructed in Nibushima and looked like a turtle, and it was called Nibushima castele or Turtle Castle. 

Hon-maru and Nino-maru were designated as the city park with two towers, a living room and the garden, and they are leisure places for the citizens. In spring, it is a good place for viewing cherry blossoms. 

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