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法隆寺を訪ねるとき、大概の場合はJR法隆寺駅からバスに乗るか、観光バスで直接付近の駐車場に乗り入れることが多いと思う。その何方を採っても、おおかたは南大門前で車から降りるため、参道の松並木を歩くことはない。しかし、法隆寺の「聖域」は、国道から延びる参道の松並木より始まっていると言ってよい。
実際に、この松並木を歩く人は少ない。また、松並木の隙間から垣間見る周囲の風景は、既に現代的な風情の無いものとなっているのかもしれない。
そんな時、昔あったであろう姿を想像してみる。おそらくは周囲を田畑で囲まれていたのだろう。遠方から歩いてきた参拝者は、のどかな田園地帯の中に現れた松並木と、その先にかすかに見える伽藍に心をときめかしたのかもしれない。
昔あったであろう姿を想像しながら松並木の木々にのみ集中して歩くのなら、既に「聖域」に入ったことを感じることができるだろう。
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The eight islands of Japan sprang into existence through Divine Intervention.The first two gods who came into existence were Izanagi no Mikoto and Izanami no Mikoto, the Exalted Male and Exalted Female. It was their job to make the land for people to live on.They went to the bridge between heaven and earth and, using a jewel-encrusted halberd, Izanagi and Izanami churned up the sea into a frothy foam. As salty drips of water fell from the tip of the halberd the first island was formed. Its name was Onogoro.So far, so good. But when Izanagi and Izanami first met on their island, Izanami spoke to Isanagi without being spoken to first. Since she was the female, and this was improper, their first union created badly-formed offspring who were sent off into the sea in boats.The next time they met, Izanagi was sure to speak first, ensuring the proper rules were followed, and this time they produced eight children, which became the islands of Japan.I'm sure you did not fail to miss the significance of this myth for the establishment of Japanese formal society.At present, Japan is the financial capital of Asia. It has the second largest economy in the world and the largest metropolitan area (Tokyo.)Technically there are three thousand islands making up the Japanese archipelago. Izanagi and Izanami must have been busy little devils with their jewelled halberd...Japan's culture is highly technical and organized. Everything sparkles and swooshes on silent, miniaturized mechanisms.They're a world leader in robotics, and the Japanese have the longest life-expectancy on earth.Text by Steve Smith.
