From the narrow road along the riverside a sign pointed up a steep road to a cliff carved statue. It was only 400 meters so I took the detour and was glad I did as the carving was of Fudo Myo.
The carving, which probablty dates from the late Heian Period, is almost 4 meters high, and shows Fudo sitting in the full lotus position. Apparently it is unuaual because both soles of his feet are shown. There are still traces of vermillion pigment on his face.
He is flanked by two attendants, on the left Kongara Doji, and on the right Seitaka Doji.
The vast majority of cliff carvings in Japan can be found in Oita. Many are on the Kunisaki Peninsula, but the southern part of the prefecture, around Oita City and Usuki also has many.
I was about halfway on walk along the river towards Bungo Ono on day 12 of my walk around Kyushu.
Yuzukosho (yuzu pepper) is a signature product from southern Kyushu
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