July 24, 2012

Moss-covered stone steps in Sugimoto-dera


The old stone steps which had been worn and abandoned are mossed densely with age.

The shining deep green of the moss is adorning the quiet beauty of the wavy stone steps which nobody goes up and down any more.

4 comments:

Kathleen M. said...

Love the photo of the steps. Am enjoying your blog very much, you are a very talented photographer.

Kunihiko said...

Dear Kathleen,

Thank you for your kind and encouraging words. I am very happy to know that you enjoyed my photos.

The gentle beauty of the mossed stone steps caught my eyes in the quiet garden of the old temple.

Kindest regards,

Mariano said...

Speechless...
But, why is it abandoned? Is there a prohibition in that place to use it?
So sad! It's so beautiful... (even at the risk of hurting oneself with a slippery step!)

Kunihiko said...

Dear Mariano,

Thank you very much for your kind and frequent encouragement to my blog.

This temple called "Sugimoto-dera" (the Tendai sect of Buddhism) was founded in AD 734 and is the oldest temple in the Kamakura area.

These stone steps had become unusable and abandoned after so many years of wear and tear caused by the numberless worshipers of Buddha who walked up and down them for over 1300 years.

With kind regards,