It is a nature preserving place in a small mountain and the surrounding area. Sanctuary for birds and the other animals. The mountain is named Nemoto Yama.
At the foot of the mountain, there was a temple named Nounin Ji. The historical record says it was established by Shogun Takauji Ashikaga, even though the foundation seems like a story devised by the people in this area those days. It is still a fact it has been founded in the 14th century. The buildings were destroyed in war, by fire or landslide from the mountain for a few times. The present main building and the wooden gate have been constructed in 18th century and repaired in the following century.
Looking at the main building through the old wooden gate. A lot of cedar trees in the precincts.
The main and, seemingly, only building for this temple. The ornament on the top of the roof shined golden, which did not seem, to me, suitable to this shrine.
The frame beneath the roof of the main building reads as Kanto Mei Ran, which stands for a renowned temple in the Kanto plain area. This frame is told to be given by the Emperor in the 14th century. Of course, it might have been reconstructed in the later era.
There was a few houses behind the main building. I hesitated to go into the garden since there could be monks living there. But nothing suggested there were someone living.
High cedar trees surrounded the precincts. It seemed someone had cared for the forest around it.
I have climbed the Nemoto Yama next to the temple on a promenade as the explanation said. In spite of its low height and the romantic name of the road, the slope was pretty steep. I got short breathed. Or I should have trained cardiopulmonary function a bit more before.
The promenade close to the summit. It deserves its name.
On the summit, there was a pavilion like building where visitors were taking rest. Only a guy was sitting on a long chair there. Very quiet. The sun was almost setting. The place was well cared for. No weeds etc.
Looking south east from the summit. The other mountains were changing colors a little bit.
Almost 20 years ago, I have driven here with my mother in her mid eighties and suffered from Alzheimer. I had parked near the peak at the place a white car was parking on this photo. Walking together with her at slow pace, I found her tottering and sitting on the lawn at the side of road shown on the center of this photo. I knew she had been weakened so much that she could hardly climb up to the peak even though it was of short distance.
In a few years, as I have repeatedly told, she was taken to Sendai by my brother who wanted to care for her. At the big earthquake hitting Tohoku in 2011, she lost her good health somehow maintained until then through loss of the infrastructures for a few days at a nursing facility and eventually died there as if a small candle went out.
It sure looks like yesterday. Our lives are short as if we breathe popping out our head out of the flow of time and in a few moments, we get back to the unknown world beneath the time flow. My mother might ask me if I am ready for that moment I leave this world.
I took a car road down to the parking lot with less steep slope. Maple trees along the road looked colorful.
At the parking lot, a cat was sunbathing while sun was almost setting. A friendly cat. He/she let me pet on its head.
With a lot of Nabe dish materials on the car, I headed back to the ordinary routine.
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