496. 兵庫見聞録 坂越

懐かしい趣きと、海が近い坂越の緩やかな傾斜のある街並みの中に、古民家を利用した暖木という素敵なカフェがある。定番の一汁多菜定食をいただいた。

 

坂越には、あの渡来人の巨人、秦河勝の墓地があるという。秦氏というと、広隆寺のイメージが強かったが、この地にもその関わりがあったのか。行きたくなったが、秦河勝が祀られている大避神社の正面の生島（国の天然記念物）に秦河勝の墓があり、神域となっているため、現在でも人の立ち入りは禁じられている。

 

Hata no Kawakatsu served Prince Shotoku. The Osake-jinja Shrine which enshrines Hata no Kawakatsu as a deity faces Sakakoshiura, and there is his grave in Ikushima Island, the holly precincts of the shrine.

 

495. 奈良見聞録 飛鳥の三大巨石

教科書に載っているので石舞台古墳は有名であるが、飛鳥には亀石と言うもう一つの巨石があり、さらにその中で最大の巨石がある。別格の異形で「益田の岩船」という。

Asuka is an ancient land. It has its origins in the Tumulus Period (250-552 AD). This era of Japanese history is characterised by a key shaped mounds surrounded by moats.  One of the most unique features of Asuka is the multiple carved granite stones in peculiar shapes in various parts of the region.

 

The largest and most unusual of the carved stones is the Masuda-no-iwafune (the 'rock ship of Masuda'). The stone carving weighs approximately 800 tonnes. The upper surface has been completely flattened and there are two one-meter square holes carved into it and a ridge line that is parallel to both holes. At the base of the stone are lattice-shaped indentations which are believed to be related to the process that was used by the builders to flatten the sides of the rock. This is located on top of a hill just a few hundred meters west of Okadera Station. How or why this colossal stone and others was carved remains a mystery.