What is Amabiki village?
updated: feb 8, 2007
- What is Amabiki Village?
- Amabiki Village is in the former Yamato Village, now part of Sakuragawa City, which was formed by the merger of Yamato Village, Iwase Town, and Makabe Town on October 1, 2005.
The site is in the western part of Ibaraki prefecture, due north of Mt. Tsukuba and within 80km of the Tokyo Metropolis. It is a rice-farming belt, using the fertile soil of the plain that spreads to Tsukuba Science City and Mt. Kaba in Suigo Tsukuba National Park. In addition to farming, the region is known for stonemasonry that makes extensive use of white granite cut from Mt. Kaba, creating products such as stone lanterns, torii arches, gravestones and works of art.
- Mt. Kaba
- Mt. Kaba is 709m high, which makes it second highest after Mt. Tsukuba in the Tsukuba, Ashio and Ishikiri ranges of southern Ibaraki. Known for Shugen-do and Tengu, it is a mountain with religious significance. Even today, the Kaba-San Zenjosai festival in summer draws many Shugen-do practitioners for austere rituals on the mountain. It was the scene of the famous Kaba-San Incident during the Movement for Civic Rights and Freedom at the start of the Meiji Era. It is also known as a source of white granite.
- Mt. Amabiki
- Mt. Amabiki, which is in the former Yamato Village, Makabe County, stands 409m high at the northern tip of the massif that runs north from Mt. Tsukuba and has Mt. Kaba at its center. It is at the north end of SuigoTsukuba National Park. Amabiki Kannon, a temple famed for child-raising, stands on the slopes of Mt. Amabiki.
- Amabiki Kannon (Rakuhoo-ji) Temple
- Amabiki Kannon draws believers from far afield, with its reputation for benefits in childbirth and child raising. It is formally known as Amabiki-San Rakuhou-ji, and the Goddess of Kannon is enshrined there. Lined with cherry, azaleas, hydrangeas and other flowers, the path approaching the temple delights visitors in all seasons. A giant Japanese chinquapin tree on the site, estimated to be over 400 years old, has been designated as a national natural treasure. The standing figure of Kannon Bodhisattva is a designated national cultural asset.
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