KURAMA STATION (KYOTO)

Temple brings historical tranquility to travelers

Photos by Yomiuri Shimbun Photographer Toshiaki Shimizu

By Keiko Nakamura

Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

After a 20-minute ride on an Eizan Electric Railway's train from Demachiyanagi Station in the Rakuhoku district of northern Kyoto, the view suddenly changes. The sprawl of houses gives way to deep forests where leaves brush against the windows of the train.

Green forests bathed in the early-summer light shine brilliantly, and by looking at the view, I understood why the train is nicknamed "Kirara" (Brilliance).

According to a folktale, one of the leading apprentices of Ganjin (689-763), a famous Chinese Buddhist monk who came to Japan in the 8th century, honored Bishamonten, one of the guardian kings of the Buddha, and constructed a temple on the present-day site of Kurama Temple in the latter half of the 8th century, which marked the beginning of the temple.

Kurama Station opened in 1929 near the temple's Niomon gate.

"I first went to the station when I was a primary school student. The image I have of the station hasn't changed at all," said Taizo Takayama, 77. "People say Kyoto is a city of tradition, but I've seen my neighbors move from traditional houses into apartments. The only thing that has stayed the same is this station."

Kurama is famous for tengu, a long-nosed goblin.

Tengu-related items, like a mask displayed in the station's waiting room, can be found at the station and its surroundings.

The area also is famous for the 12th-century warrior Minamoto no Yoshitsune. The train's logo is Yoshitsune's name in kanji.

In the station, "Genpei gassen," a woodblock print by late Edo period (1603-1868) artist Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, draws visitors in with its depiction of a battle between the Genji and Heike clans 800 years ago.

At the temple, the image of Buddha represents the life energy of the universe and the treasure of all its creatures. Just by looking at the mountainside station I can feel that my mind is at peace.