Welcome to Yamadera.
3 Years in Sendai – 6: Echoes of Bashō at Yama-dera
(Insert sketch or photo: View of temple rooftops clinging to the cliffside, Yama-dera)
High in the mountains of Yamagata Prefecture, where mist curls around pine-clad ridges and voices are swallowed by stone, sits the revered temple complex of Yama-dera—literally "Mountain Temple"—formally known as Risshaku-ji (立石寺), of the Hōshu-zan lineage.
Twice I made the journey to this sacred place during my time in Sendai. Each time, I was utterly mesmerized by its rugged verticality—temple halls perched on cliffsides, stone steps climbing through cedar forests, and the solemn stillness of age-old devotion hanging in the cool mountain air.
Yamadera Zem Mountain Retreat - Ymamgata Prefecture.
It was here in 1689 that Matsuo Bashō, pausing in his journey through the Tōhoku region, composed one of his most famous haiku:
しずけさや 岩にしみ入る 蝉の声
Shizukesa ya / iwa ni shimiiru / semi no koe
Ah, this silence—
sinking into the rocks,
the voice of cicadas.
The verse, etched into the collective spirit of Japanese poetry, echoes through the cliffs to this day. I heard it not only with my ears, but in my bones. The cicadas’ steady drone, absorbed by mossy stone, seemed to ripple through the stillness like time itself folding.
Yama-dera is not just a scenic site. It is a place of pilgrimage, of spiritual resonance. Its main image, a hibutsu (hidden statue) of Yakushi Nyorai, is said to offer healing to those who come in earnest. The entire mountain breathes an ancient, disciplined silence.
(Insert photo: Stone steps ascending through tall trees, taken during your visit)
On the opposite side of the valley, not far from the foot of the mountain, lies the Yamadera Bashō Memorial Museum—a modest, quiet place housing calligraphy, paintings, and artifacts related to Bashō's life and journey. I spent a long afternoon there, drawing, reflecting, and listening to the hauntingly persistent chirp of cicadas—so distinct that in 1996, the Ministry of the Environment named them one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan.
I left with sketches, photos, and a renewed commitment to silence—to walking softly and listening deeply. In the quiet of Yama-dera, I met Bashō not in words, but in the space between them.
#Yamadera #Risshakuji #MatsuoBasho #ZenPilgrimage #CicadaSoundscape #SendaiMemoirs #TohokuWanderings #SketchbookTravel #SoundscapesOfJapan #MountainTemples
1 comment:
Sorry I had to post this here because I couldn’t find your post regarding the Tauhid.
Take this as a reminder from someone who sincerely cares. Please don’t say that my sayings below are wrong. I did my research and learned about it growing up as a Muslim.
I came across a lot of your posts where you wrote about trusting Buddha, and as a fellow Muslim, I just want to remind you gently that this goes against the core of our faith, Tauhid.
In Islam, we believe that only Allah is worthy of our full trust, worship, and devotion. When we say we trust other beings, especially those seen as divine in other religions, it can slowly weaken our connection to Allah, even if that’s not our intention.
Buddha is respected by many, but in Islam, we don’t place our trust or spiritual beliefs in anyone except Allah. Even writing or saying otherwise can be serious in the eyes of Islam.
Please reflect on this. We all slip at times, but reminders help us return to the right path.
May Allah guide and protect your heart always.
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