Jūroku Rakan Iwa

Along the Yamagata coast near Yuza, 22 Buddhist figures have been carved directly into seaside rocks in the shadow of sacred Mt. Chokai. A local monk spent 16 years in the early 19th century chiseling them into the stone to memorialize fishermen lost at sea and pray for future safe voyages. Salt air and wind have weathered the carvings over the decades into an almost ghostly softness. The figures face the Sea of Japan, and at sunset the light catches the carved faces with particular clarity. A short path connects the sculptures with interpretive signs. It is the kind of quietly moving place that rewards those who go out of their way for it.