2. 倶利伽羅石造三十三観音像 Kurikara stone thirty-three different types of the Goddess of Mercy statue

＜倶利伽羅石造三十三観音像＞　　

江戸時代後期に倶利伽羅峠の竹橋～石坂間の約７ｋｍの峠道街道沿いに整然と33体の観音像が設置されていた。・当時の街道を行き来する人々には道標あるいは里程標として機能し、はかりしれない安らぎと功徳を与えてきたと推定されます。・しかし、明治新政府が布告した「神仏判然令」により、仏教は未曽有の法難に遭遇。その際、観音像が破壊されることを危惧し、事前に安全な地に移設され、保管された。最近、これらを元の場所に復元しようという意見もあります。

In the late Edo period (1603-1868), 33 statues of Kannon (Goddess of Mercy) were set up in an orderly fashion along the 7km-long mountain pass road between Takenohashi and Ishizaka on the Kurikara Pass. It is presumed that the statues functioned as guideposts or mileage markers for people traveling along the road at that time, and provided them with immeasurable comfort and merit. However, due to the “Shindo-Buddhist Decree” promulgated by the new Meiji government, Buddhism encountered an unprecedented legal crisis. At that time, fearing that the statues of Kannon would be destroyed, they were relocated to a safer place in advance for safekeeping. Recently, there has been an idea to restore these to their original locations.