WORLDWIDE | Monday, 30 August 2010 | Views [2893]
These are the ancient burial caves of the Zuiganji Temple in Matsushima. Founded in 828 AD, this Buddhist temple was originally founded in 828 as part of the Tendai sect, and was converted into a Zen temple during the Kamakura Period (1192-1333).
Part of the temple was hewn directly into the surrounding cliffs where cremated remains of the deceased were enshrined as was, and still is a tradition of Zen Buddhism.