Usuki dreaming, stone Buddhas in Usuki, Ohita Pref. (臼杵幻想)

It has been my desire for over 30 years to be here in Usuki and see the stone statues of Buddha, his dependents. Many wishes, desires have gone away among my hands for long time. So many visions vanished into dust. Nothing was left to be certain.

After I passed through the strong wind from seashore, I found an guide post that leads me to the destination.

Walking up along the path spreading around the stone statues, I felt a strange shadow approaching me. It was a vague, sparkling image in the shimmer under autumn leaves.

The shadow gradually transformed into a certain shape. That was a little girl, stretching her hand for me. She smiled and took my hand and walked on with me. It was just a daydream, but I had a queer sensation that I met her somewhere, sometime in times past.

She began to walk fast, suddenly stopped and pointed a wooden explanation plate with her fine finger. Then she stepped foward to one of the stone statue in front of me, and disappeared into the stone. I could not take my eyes off the place where she vanished.

The statue was carved out of a part of the cliff, and was considered to be build in the 12th century. Eight hundreds years is almost same meaning as eternity, compared to my lifetime. Suddenly, A voice explaining stone Buddhas could be heard from down the path.

案内の人が説明しています。「ホキ」というのは崖という意味だって。十王の石仏を見るのは初めてだった。

思い起こせば耶馬で石仏を見た頃はすでに、遥かな時間の彼方に去ってしまった。でも、臼杵の石仏達の時間は刻まれてからおよそ八百年ばかり。

首が落ちていた石仏も修復されて、今もしっかりと時間を刻んでいます。

北への帰り道、やっぱり南の方から呼んでいるような気がしました。でも、それはまた今度の為にとっておくことにしました。