Udono Sekibutsu 鵜殿石仏群

In Ouchi Town in Saga, there's a mysterious and sacred site known as Udono Sekibutsu. The site is filled with magaibutsu, or images carved into cliffs or caves.

There are no official records on these fascinating Buddhist images. It's thought that this was once a cave, but the overhead collapsed and exposed the interior.

From Saga Station, take the JR Karatsu Line to Ouchi Station. This ride is approximately 51 minutes. From Ouchi Station, it's around a 21-minute walk, with signs in both Japanese and English.

From Hakata Station, take the JR Kamome Line to Saga Station. This ride takes around 40 minutes, depending on which train you take. From there, you will change to the JR Karastsu to Ouchi Station and follow the same directions as above.

The legend is that Kukai, the founder of Shingon, one of the two major sects of esoteric Buddhism, stopped here around the ninth century and inscribed the first carvings (which are no longer visible).

The other 60 or so distinct images of various Buddhist deities are thought to have been carved in the 14th century. There are many old statues of the same deities prevalent throughout the site of interest.

This site is much different from established temples or shrines. It is not just the images and statues, but the mystery of the place that is a large part of its allure.

*Some restrictions are currently in place at the site