Carved Uzuki Stone Buddhas in Japan Canvas Print

There is a very nice park outside Usuki, Japan where we went to see these are figures of Buddha carved in rock (magaibutsu) These have been designated a national treasure. More than 60 figures were carved in rock face created by hardened volcanic ash and molten rock that erupted from Mt. Aso approximately 90,000 years ago. The figures are believed to have been carved from the Heian period (794–1185) to the Kamakura period (1185–1333). It is unknown who did the carvings.. They are still shrouded in many mysteries. All the figures of Buddha are carved into the rock and cannot be moved. Stone buddhas are unusual in Japan.

I love to tell stories. About twenty years ago I had my first freelance travel article accepted by a magazine. Much to my surprise, the magazine expected photos along with words. I had not taken any during the preliminary work for my article. I drove back to the site and took the photos for the article with my little Olympus digital camera. The article was published with those very amateur photos. In time, I bought an Olympus OMD-EM5, a great camera for nature and travel photographers and discovered that I enjoyed telling stories with pictures more than I did with words. The last twenty year have been an incredibly exciting time as resources for photographers have exploded. I have been lucky enough to have some great teachers along the way...