Kunisaki Peninsula

Kunisaki is a circular peninsula formed by a single volcano, with valleys radiating from the centre like spokes, and that geography produced something specific: an isolated tradition called Rokugo Manzan, a fusion of Tendai Buddhism, Shugendo mountain asceticism and Hachiman shrine worship, which developed here from the eighth century and left temples in each valley. The peninsula holds most of Japan's surviving stone Buddhas carved directly into cliff faces - the Kumano Magaibutsu, two figures of about eight and six metres, are reached up a rough stone stair said to have been laid by a demon in one night. Fuki-ji has a wooden hall of the twelfth century, one of the oldest in Kyushu, with faded wall paintings inside. Futagoji sits at the centre with stone guardians on its approach. It is thinly visited, the roads are narrow, and a car is not optional.

What you actually see

• Radiating valleys - a circular volcanic peninsula with temples in each spoke.
• Cliff-carved Buddhas - the Kumano Magaibutsu, eight and six metres, up a rough stone stair.
• Fuki-ji - a twelfth-century wooden hall with faded wall paintings, among Kyushu's oldest.
• Rokugo Manzan - a local fusion of Tendai, Shugendo and Hachiman worship.

When to go

April to November; late November for colour in the valleys. Two days.

Honest expectations

A car is essential - buses barely serve the interior. Roads are narrow and winding. Several sites need short rough climbs. There are few facilities and little English signage.

Nearby

Usa Jingu is west; Beppu and Yufuin are south.