三徳山
概要
三徳山は、船上山や大山と共に、伯耆の国（現在の鳥取県西部）の山岳仏教の霊山の1つと呼ばれています。高さ900ｍのこの山は神のいる場所として崇められ、聖地として扱われていたため、自然が大事に守られています。山のふもとには706年に修行者のために創設された三佛寺があります。そこから延びる修行のための厳しい道は、億人であり1000年以上前にさかのぼる国宝である、投入堂に続いています。この小さな木造の寺院は、断崖絶壁の浅い張り出しの下にしがみついていて、ときには建造物と同じくらい岩のようにも見えます。投入堂の不思議な姿は、寺院近くの望遠鏡を通して見ることができます。
Mt. Mitoku
Overview
Mt. Mitoku is revered as one of the three sacred peaks of mountain asceticism in the Hoki region (present-day western Tottori Prefecture). The mountain itself, approximately 900 m high, was considered to be the home of the gods, and the entire area was considered sacred ground. This sacred status has assured that the natural environment here has been well protected. At the base of the mountain is the Sanbutsuji Temple, founded in 706 for mountain ascetics practicing on the mountain. From there a challenging trail, which is actually an ascetic road, leads to the Nageiredo, the temple’s Mountain Sanctuary Hall and a National Treasure with a history going back more than 1,000 years. This small wooden temple clings precariously underneath a shallow overhang on the face of a sheer cliff, and seems to be as much a part of the rock as a manmade structure. The wonders of the Nageiredo Hall can be scrutinized through a telescope near the temple.
