Mount Kurama


Each of us has a rumor about Mount Fuji , which is sacred to the Japanese, which is located in the Tokyo area. But not everyone knows that in the north of Kyoto there is one more cult place in Japan - Mount Kurama. This mountain range, 584 m high, is covered with centuries-old cedars, and at its top are several Shinto and Buddhist temples. Kurama has a huge cultural, historical and sacred significance for the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun. Recently used as a recreation area and a venue for fire festivals.

"The place where energy is born"

For several centuries, the area on which the holy mountain Kurama is located is known as one of the favorable places of Japan. According to legend, here live mythical creatures, Big Tengu, possessing magic power and perfectly owning a sword. The Japanese believe that the best warrior of the country, Yoshitsune Minamoto, was a pupil of Tengu. Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido, often came here with his students, conducted training in the mystical Sjodzobo Valley. Grief is worshiped by followers and adherents of the Reiki, considering the overall energy of the area very strong.

Kurama is rich in many holy springs, whose waters are famous for their crystal clearness and extraordinary taste. The specific microclimate of the area, characterized by high humidity, influenced the emergence of natural phenomena. Such, for example, is a unique in its form tree-katsura, which in people is called "dragon". Huge sizes of the trunk overgrown with numerous new branches. Such an outlandish form of the plant is the basis for believing in its holiness and the presence in it of a certain deity.

At the top of the Kurama mountain there is the most famous temple of the Tingri school of Shingon - Kurama-dera, built in 770. During its centuries-old history, this temple burned 8 times and was flooded once. The buildings of the Kurama-dera temple complex became the National treasury, and the most valuable exhibit is the statue of Bisamontan, which survived during the fire, which completely destroyed the temple in 1238. The local elite with power always paid special attention to the Kurama-dera temple, and the mountain itself was considered the spiritual symbol of the whole complex.

The philosophy of Mount Kurama

The philosophical system of the sacred place was formed by the followers of the reiki in the style of New Age on the basis of the Shinto customs, the components of Buddhism and the actual views of the Reiki. The main principle of the world outlook is Sonten, which in translation means "Energy of life of the Universe", the earthly manifestation of it is the trinity: love, light and power. Each of the three components can be completely self-sufficient. Love is symbolized with the Moon (patron senju-cannon Bosacu), light corresponds to the Sun (patron Bisamontan), and force - to the Earth (the patron of Gohmaosan).

How to get to Mount Kurama?

The Kurama mountain region is connected to Kyoto by the railway line "Eidzan". The train departs every 20 minutes, Kurama station can be reached in about an hour, the ticket costs about $ 4. By car from Kyoto to the attraction can be reached through the Government Channel 40 Line and Government Road 38 Number Line. The trip takes about 30 minutes.