Enigmatic sculptured stones around Asuka district, Nara pref., Japan Honshū

Submitted by Aska on Saturday, 29 July 2023 Page Views: 3494

Country: Japan Region: Honshū
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**Saruishi (Asuka)** submitted by Aska : Site in Honshu, Japan. Woman (left) and "Sannō Gongen" God(right). (Vote or comment on this photo)

In the 7th century CE, Asuka-mura village was the capital of Japan. The area around it contains plenty of strange stone monuments most of which cannot be seen anywhere else, so out of scope of Buddhist statue researchers in Japan. The monuments might be roughly classified into following 6 categories (different opinions exist):

Kofun burial mound : Ishibutai, Oni-no-Setchin and Oni-no-Manaita, KengoshiZuka Kofun
Standing stones with or without engravings : Mara-ishi, Miroku-ishi, Uba-ishi, Tateishi at Amakashi, Oka and Jōgo
Sculptured figures : Saru-ishi, Saru-ishi (in Takatori), Kame-ishi, Nimen-seki, Jintō-seki
Water supply facilities : Shumisen-seki, Sekijin-zō, Kamegata Sekizōbutsu, Demizu-no-Sakafuneishi, Asuka Palace pond garden ruin, Mon’yō-ishi, , Kuruma-ishi
Natural outcrops : Fuguri-ishi, Kutsuna-ishi
Monuments for unknown purpose : Sakafune-ishi, Masuda-no-Iwafune, Koguri-ishi

　As for “sculptured figures”, some scholars suspect them as part of pan-Pacific stone statues including Palindo in Sulawesi island and Moai in Easter island. The relationship between the similar statues in Nagasaki, Korea and Asuka is unsolved. In contrast to Japanese archaeologist show little interest in them, Japanese popular crime fiction writer Seichō MATSUMOTO (松本清張 1909-1992) suggested a hypothesis that they were manufactured under the influence of Persian Zoroastrianism which was brought to Japan via the Silk (or Cinnamon) Road.

　“Ishi-no-Hōden” in Hyōgo prefecture and “Okamasu-no-Ishindō” in Tottori prefecture are regarded as the 3 major enigmatic stone monuments in Japan along with “Masuda-no-Iwafune”. Some scholars suspect that “Ishi-no-Hōden” and “Masuda-no-Iwafune” are unfinished hollowed-rock capsule chamber along with “Amanjaku-iwa” which lies close to “Okamasu-no-Ishindō”. “Okamasu-no-Ishindō” with Greek-entasis central pillar and Middle-Eastern palmette decoration is quite a enigmatic chimera.

Basic Resources :
飛鳥:古代への旅（別冊太陽：日本のこころ）東京：平凡社, 2005 ISBN:4582944906 (lit: Asuka : a trip to ancient times (“The Sun” supplementary issue series ‘Japanese identity’))
間壁忠彦ほか 1996 石宝殿：古代史の謎を解く神戸:神戸新聞総合出版センター ISBN: 4-87521-205-4 (lit: SekiHōden (=stone treasure vault) : resolution of the mystery in prehistory)
川上貞夫 1997 岡益の石堂　東京:牧野出版 ISBN:4-89500-050-8 (lit: Stone pillar in Okamasu)

Main article : ★★Japanese Chronology with Featured Stone Monuments In Every Era

Contributor Bio for Aska: Based in Kyoto, JAPAN, contributing since 2007. Favourite site: B&B Sa Perda Pinta. Occupation: re-tired Librarian.

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