“Ishibashi” stone bridge
Two days have passed since I entered the Kumano-Kodo old road. I found a big board stone while journeying ahead on the old road. The old road was built of many paved stones. According to my guidebook, the big board stone was named Ishibashi. The Ishibashi lay across a groove that would become a river in heavy rains. That is the origin of the name “Ishibashi” which means stone bridge. I was unsure if it was man-made or created by natural forces, though it was rectangular and flat surfaced. Now it remains on a silent mountain road which is used by no one, but since over 1,000 years ago it has aided countless travelers. I think many kinds of people have crossed this stone. Joyous youths, the downtrodden, the benevolent, the elderly, or even a newborn embraced by his mother. I would like to ask the stone “By who were you most proud of being stepped on?”!