Kurama Line 叡山電鐵鞍馬線
2026 年 5 月 6 日，我們去鞍馬寺和貴船神社玩。我們先搭乘特快列車到出町柳站，再換乘叡山電鐵的鞍馬線。鞍馬線上有兩列設計獨特的觀光列車，乘客只需購買普通票即可搭乘；不過，由於我們並未刻意計劃，所以我們乘坐的是一列普通列車。但這其實並不重要，因為普通車廂外繪有這條路線四季風光的精美圖案，這種充滿活力的視覺效果足以讓人心情愉悅，為即將開始的旅程營造出美好的氛圍。
On May 6, 2026 we made our way to Kurama-dera and Kifune Shrine. We took an express train to Demachiyanagi Station, then changed onto the Eizan Electric Railway's Kurama Line for the final stretch. The Kurama Line runs two specially designed sightseeing trains, available to ride on an ordinary ticket, though we boarded a regular service without having planned otherwise. It hardly mattered — the carriages were attractively painted with scenes of the line's scenery across the four seasons, and the effect was cheerful enough to put one in the right mood for the day ahead.
Kurama Station, Sōjōbō tengu 鞍馬站, 大天狗
從出町柳站到鞍馬站約 30 至 35 分鐘。鞍馬站是鞍馬線這條路線的北端終點站，也是前往鞍馬寺和貴船神社的主要門戶。車站外迎接訪客的地標格外醒目，你絕不會錯過。那是一尊高達數公尺的天狗頭像，鮮紅色的臉孔，有著長度驚人得近乎誇張的長鼻子。天狗是日本傳說中極具代表性的神話生物，與山岳崇拜以及佛教修驗道在山林間的苦修傳統淵源頗深。此處所紀念的這尊天狗形象，與平安時代晚期流傳至今的一段著名傳說有著密切的關聯。
武士源義經（童年時被稱為牛若丸）七歲時父親在戰亂中戰敗身亡，他被送到鞍馬寺出家。據傳說，他在山裡的那些年，夜晚偷偷入山，在寺廟內殿的深處，他遇到了「大天狗」（又稱鞍馬山僧正坊）。據說天狗教會了他高超的劍術、戰略和兵法——據說，這是他後來在戰場上展現軍事才華的基礎。1994年，京都市在車站外豎立了四公尺高的天狗頭像，以紀念這一傳說。毫無疑問，它非常引人注目。車站附近的禮品店裡也會看到擺滿了各種以「天狗」為主題的紀念品。
It takes about 30 to 35 minutes from Demachiyanagi Station to Kurama Station. Kurama Station is the northern terminus of the line, and the principal gateway to both Kurama-dera and Kifune Shrine. The landmark that greets arrivals outside the station is impossible to overlook: a tengu head several metres tall, its face a vivid red, its nose famously and improbably long. The tengu is a creature with deep roots in Japanese legend, associated with mountain worship and the Buddhist tradition of ascetic practice in the forests and hills. The particular figure commemorated here is connected to one of the more enduring stories of the late Heian period.
The warrior Minamoto no Yoshitsune — known in childhood as Ushiwakamaru — lost his father in battle when he was just seven years old, and was sent to Kurama-dera to be raised as a monk. According to legend, he would slip away into the mountains at night during his years there, and it was in the deep precincts of the temple's inner sanctuary that he encountered the great tengu known as Sōjōbō. The tengu is said to have taught him swordsmanship, strategy, and the arts of war — the foundation, the story goes, of the military brilliance he would later display on the battlefield. In 1994, the city of Kyoto erected the four-metre tengu head outside the station in commemoration of this legend. It is, by any measure, a striking thing to walk out to. The gift shops near the station carried their share of tengu-themed souvenirs, as one might expect.
Kurama-dera Temple 鞍馬寺
在鞍馬站下車後，沿著坡道向上步行片刻，便可抵達鞍馬寺的仁王門——這裡正是鞍馬山聖域的正式入口。
這座寺廟的起源可追溯至兩個載於古老寺誌的建寺記載。第一個始於西元 770 年：當時，東渡日本的唐代高僧鑑真的弟子－鑑禎，在夢境與一匹白馬的指引下攀登鞍馬山。途中，他遭女妖襲擊，幸得毗沙門天神靈相救；為表感念，他便在山上建起一座小庵，供奉這位神靈。
第二個起源故事發生在約二十六年後的公元 796 年。當時擔任京都東寺營造總管的藤原伊勢人，一直希望能建造一座供奉觀音的寺院。有一天，他夢見一匹白馬引領他上山，並發現了鑑禎當年所建的那處草庵。當晚，他又做了一個夢，夢中得到啟示：毗沙門天與觀音本為一體。於是，他著手興建了一座正規寺院，並隨後增設了一尊千手觀音像，將這兩尊神像一同供奉於同一殿宇之中。
在隨後的幾個世紀裡，該寺的教義與定位經歷了巨大的發展與變遷。到了 1947 年，時任住持信樂香雲有感於鞍馬寺獨特的特質——即對自然界的崇敬、山岳神秘主義，以及多元修行方式——已難以完全契合天台宗的教義範疇。於是，他宣布獨立，創立了名為「鞍馬弘教」的新教派，並將鞍馬寺定立為該教派的總本山。
當然，還有關於源義經的話題──以及之前已提及的傳說：他曾在這座山上生活，並師從天狗僧正坊修習武藝。即便拋開這些傳說不談，也有人認為這座山蘊含著某種獨特的靈力。無論你是否相信這類事物，當你沿著參道拾級而上時，都不難察覺到一種微妙的氛圍變化：頭頂上方是日本楓樹那柔和的綠意，兩側排列著成行的朱紅色奉納燈籠，身後的城市喧囂也漸行漸遠。這一切讓人自然而然地感覺到，自己彷彿正步入一個遵循著截然不同法則的世界。
After stepping off the train at Kurama Station, a short walk uphill brings you to the Niōmon Gate of Kurama-dera — the point at which the mountain's sacred precincts formally begin.
The temple traces its origins to two separate founding stories, each preserved in its ancient records. The first dates to 770 CE, when Gantei — a disciple of the Tang Chinese monk Jianzhen (Ganjin), who had made the sea crossing to Japan — was led by a dream and a white horse to climb Mount Kurama. He was set upon by a female demon on the way, but saved by the deity Bishamonten (Vaisravana), and in gratitude built a small hermitage on the mountain to enshrine him.
The second story unfolds some twenty-six years later, in 796 CE. Fujiwara no Isejin, then serving as superintendent of construction for Tō-ji temple in Kyoto, had long held a wish to build a temple dedicated to Kannon. A dream came to him, and a white horse led him up the mountain, where he came upon the hermitage Gantei had built. That night, another dream found him: a voice told him that Bishamonten and Kannon were not two deities but one. He set about constructing a proper temple, and in time added a statue of the Thousand-Armed Kannon, enshrining both together under a single roof.
The centuries that followed brought considerable change to the temple's teachings and identity. By 1947, the then-abbot Shigaraki Kōun had come to feel that Kurama-dera's particular character — its reverence for the natural world, its mountain mysticism, its layered and eclectic forms of practice — no longer sat easily within the doctrinal boundaries of the Tendai school. He declared independence, established a new denomination called Kurama-kokyō, and confirmed Kurama-dera as its head temple.
Then, of course, there is the matter of Yoshitsune — and the legend, already touched on, of his years on this mountain and his training under the tengu Sōjōbō. There are those who believe the mountain holds a particular spiritual power, quite apart from its legends. Whether or not one is inclined toward such things, it is not difficult to feel something shift as you walk the approach: the soft green of the Japanese maples overhead, two rows of vermilion votive lanterns lining the path on either side, the city falling away behind you. It feels, without much effort, like entering a world that operates by different rules.
鞍馬山鋼索鐵道 Mount Kurama Cable Railway
要去鞍馬寺的主殿，可以選擇步行登山或搭乘纜車。我們選擇了後者，從「普明殿」乘車上山到「多寶塔站」。這段行程雖短，僅需 2 分鐘，且票價才 200 日元，堪稱此行中最物有所值的小開銷。因為下車後繼續向前進的路程不短，而且部分路段頗為陡峭，在爬山前能讓雙腿保持堅強有力，還挺重要的。
To reach the main hall of Kurama-dera, you can either make the climb on foot or take the cable car. We took the cable car, boarding at Fūmyōden. The ride to Tahoto Pagoda is short — a matter of two minutes — but at two hundred yen, it is one of the more sensible small expenditures a visit here will ask of you. The path that continues beyond it is long enough, and steep enough in places, that arriving with your legs still fresh turns out to matter more than you might expect.
鞍馬山景緻：從仁王門至本殿 (九十九折参道)
Kurama Mountain Scenery: From Niōmon Gate to the Main Hall (Tsuzura-ori Path)
從多寶塔到鞍馬寺本殿是一段平緩的上坡路，我們走得悠閒自在——沿途不時駐足、東走西看——大約花了二十分鐘才到。這裡的環境讓人不由自主地放慢了腳步。那條路上的光線別具一格，透過樹木的枝葉灑落下來，彷彿有一種魔力，能讓人的心境變得安寧沉靜，卻又無需你刻意做什麼。
The path from Tahōtō pagoda to the main hall of Kurama-dera is a gentle climb, and we took our time with it — stopping here and there, looking about — and arrived in perhaps twenty minutes. The surroundings made it easy to slow down. There is a particular quality to the light on that path, filtered through the trees, that has a way of settling the mind without asking anything of you.
春日燈籠－石製與朱紅色的燈籠
Kasuga-dōrō — The Stone and Vermilion Lanterns
我對日本宗教一點也不熟悉，但有些事物總是在我的照片中不斷出現，促使我想要一探究竟。燈籠便是其中之一——有的是由石頭製成，有的則是鮮豔的朱紅色——實際上它們所蘊含的意義遠比其靜謐的存在更為深厚。
每盞燈籠內的光都像徵著智慧之光，足以驅散黑暗。從實際功能上來看，在山間小徑與陡峭石階之上，它們曾指引朝聖者穿行於林木繁茂的山丘間。然而，它們也被視為某種意義上的入口：讓人放下日常生活的瑣事與掛礙，轉而進入一種更適宜沉思的心境。那些朱紅色的燈籠更蘊含著另一層特別的意義：這種特定的紅色與護佑及驅邪避災的祈願緊密相連。
這裡的許多燈籠並非由寺社官方購置。若仔細觀察，常能發現燈籠內部的白紙上寫有名字，或是支撐燈籠的木柱上有題字──這些名字屬於捐贈者、家庭、當地商家或個人；他們敬獻燈籠，既是出於虔誠之心，也是為了寄託某種特定的祈願。
I know rather little about Japanese religion, but certain things kept appearing in my photographs and eventually demanded explanation. The lanterns were one of them — some in weathered stone, others in vivid vermilion — and they turn out to carry more meaning than their quiet presence might suggest.
The light inside each lantern represents the light of wisdom, capable of dispersing darkness. In a practical sense, along mountain paths and up steep stone stairways, they once guided pilgrims through the kind of deep shadow that gathers quickly in forested hills. But they are also understood as thresholds of a sort — a gentle signal to set aside the preoccupations of daily life, to arrive in a different frame of mind, one more suited to reflection. The vermilion ones carry an additional layer of meaning: that particular shade of red is associated with protection, with the warding off of misfortune.
Many of the lanterns were not placed here by the temple itself. Look closely, and you will often find names written on the white paper panels inside, or carved into the wooden pillars that hold them up — donors, families, local businesses, individuals who offered a lantern as an act of devotion or a vessel for a particular wish.
堂與神社 Hall (Dō) vs Shrine (Jinja)
沿途我們經過了幾處規模較小的殿堂與神社，其中兩處格外引人注目：一是彌勒堂，二是辰巳弁財天神社。後者供奉的是弁財天──她是日本「七福神」中唯一的女神，掌管音樂、藝術、辯才與財富。祗園地區的藝伎與舞伎，以及餐飲業從業人員，都對她虔誠膜拜，祈求技藝精進、生意興隆與身體安康。
了解「神社」與「殿堂」之間的差異很有必要，尤其是在日本，因為你會常看到這兩種建築。神社屬於神道教──這是日本本土的萬物有靈信仰，認為山川、草木、河流以及世間萬物皆有神靈棲居。神社的入口處通常矗立著一座「鳥居」；這種獨特的獨立式門框標誌著凡俗世界與神聖領域之間的界限。神社內部極少供奉神像，取而代之的往往是鏡子或成串的御幣/紙垂（しで，Shide），用來區隔神明居住的「神域」與人類所在的「俗世」。參拜儀式遵循固定的程序：二禮、二拍手、一禮（先鞠躬兩次，拍手兩次祈願，最後再鞠躬一次）。
「堂」（dō）是一種佛教建築，通常作為寺院的附屬建築或偏殿，供奉著佛陀、觀音或其他菩薩的塑像。其入口處通常設有一座「三門」/「山門」（sanmon）－這種門往往氣勢宏偉，有時還會有仁王（Niō）等護法神像鎮守。佛教場所的名稱中，常包含意為寺、堂、庵或院的字眼。在此進行的禮拜儀式較為靜謐：只需合掌並默默祈禱，無需拍手。
這兩種傳統在日本共存已逾千年；而在像鞍馬山這樣神聖與自然早已被視為渾然一體的地方，兩者之間的界限，與其說是一條分界線，倒不如說是一種柔和的交融。
Along the path, we passed a small number of minor halls and shrines. Two caught my attention: Mirokudō Hall, and Tatsumi Benzaiten Shrine — the latter dedicated to Benzaiten, the only female deity among Japan's Seven Lucky Gods, and the one who presides over music, the arts, eloquence, and wealth. She draws particular devotion from the geiko and maiko of the Gion district, and from those in the restaurant trade, who come to pray for refinement in their craft, prosperity in their work, and good health.
The distinction between a shrine and a hall is one worth understanding, not least because you will encounter both constantly in Japan. Shrines belong to Shinto, Japan's indigenous animist tradition — a world in which mountains, trees, rivers, and countless other presences are understood to be inhabited by spirits. A shrine's entrance is always marked by a torii gate, that distinctive freestanding form that marks the boundary between the everyday world and the realm of the divine. Inside, you will rarely find a statue; a mirror, or strips of sacred paper (Shide), more commonly serve as the dwelling place of the deity. The ritual of worship follows a set sequence: two bows, two claps, one final bow.
A dō, or hall, is a Buddhist structure — a sub-building or annex of a temple, housing statues of the Buddha, Kannon, or other bodhisattvas. Its entrance is typically a sanmon gate, often substantial, sometimes guarded by protective figures such as the Niō kings. The names of Buddhist institutions tend to include characters meaning temple, hall, hermitage, or cloister. Worship here is quieter in form: hands pressed together, a silent prayer — no clapping.
The two traditions have coexisted in Japan for well over a millennium, and on a mountain like Kurama, where the sacred and the natural have long been understood as inseparable, the boundary between them can feel less like a line than a gentle blur.
洗心亭 Saishin-tei
再繼續走，會經過洗心亭。這裏是一處免費休息的休憩所，並販售一些簡單的食物、飲料,以及紀念品。
Continuing along the path, you will pass the Saishin-tei. It is a free rest area that also sells simple food, beverages, and souvenirs.
手水舍 Temizuya — The Purification Fountain
不遠處看到一個手水舍（淨手亭）。在日本大多數神社和寺院的入口處——通常位於參道沿途或正殿旁——你會看到一個盛著流動清水的低矮石製水槽。這就是「手水舍」（temizuya）；在此駐足並非是個可有可無的選項，而是進入後續區域前必須做的第一件事。在這裏洗手漱口被視為一種「淨化」儀式：意在進入這片超脫世俗的聖域之前，洗去沾染的塵埃，摒除外界的紛擾雜念。
這項儀式僅需一匙水，其動作順序比初看時更為講究。首先，右手握住木匙沖洗左手；隨後換至左手，沖洗右手。接著，將少量水倒入左手掌心，送至口中漱口－注意不要將水喝下，也不要讓嘴唇直接接觸湯匙。最後，將木勺豎起，讓餘水順著勺柄流下以清洗柄身，隨後將水杓扣放回原處。
如果操作得當，或許只需三十秒；若能真正用心去做，則會多花些時間——而這，歸根究底，或許正是其意義所在。
A temizuya (the purification fountain) could be seen not far away. At the entrance to most Japanese shrines and temples, set along the approach path or beside the main hall, you will find a low stone basin fed by running water. This is the temizuya, and stopping here is not optional — it is the first thing you do before proceeding any further. The act of washing, in this context, is understood as purification: a shedding of the dust and distraction of the outside world before entering a space that belongs to something else.
The ritual uses a single ladleful of water, and the sequence is more deliberate than it might first appear. You take the wooden ladle in your right hand and rinse your left; then transfer it to your left hand and rinse your right. A small amount of water is then poured into the cupped palm of the left hand and brought to the mouth to rinse — you do not drink it, and you do not put your lips to the ladle itself. Finally, you tilt the ladle upright and allow the remaining water to run down the handle, cleaning it, before returning it face-down to its resting place.
Done correctly, it takes perhaps thirty seconds. Done with any attention at all, it takes a little longer than that — which may, in the end, be something of the point.
⛩ Stay tuned for more of our Kyoto, Japan adventures!
World Through My Eyes (Photographs) Posts/我鏡頭裏的世(視)界帖子
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