Path of Tree Roots

　A short walk along the approach leading from the main hall of Kurama-dera Temple towards Kifune Shrine takes you to the ‘Kinonemichi (Path of Tree Roots)’, where the roots of cedar trees protrude from the ground as far as the eye can see. It is said that magma seeped into the sandstone and cooled in place, creating a layer of rock so hard that the roots cannot break through to the surface.

　This is the spot where, according to legend, Minamoto no Yoshitsune undertook ascetic training with a tengu, a type of legendary creature found in Shinto belief during his childhood; it is a place where one cannot help but feel the energy of the Earth.