March 28, 2019 Snowman Festival

On February 8, several ICT students and I participated in the Snowman Festival at Shiramine district. This year's snow is minimal especially compared to last year's record-breaking snowfall, and even Shiramine, which is regularly known for its heavy snow only had partial snow left on the roadside. However, the ICT students and the volunteers from Kanazawa Institute of Technology joined forces to make many snowmen for the enjoyment of the local and visiting people. As I was walking around and admiring the snowmen, I met the head priest of Rinsaiji temple, who invited me to see the Gezanbutsu (Budda's decent from the mountains) statues. Gratefully accepting this offer, I followed him to the main hall of the temple to view the many Buddhist statues once located at Gozengamine (the top of Mt. Hakusan). These Buddhist statues, including the Dozo-kanze-onbosatsu-ryuzo, were placed in Rinsaiji temple after the Buddhist monks were forced to dissent the mountain due to the Ordinance Distinguishing Shinto and Buddhism in the Meiji period. If you visit the temple, the head priest will tell you the details in depth. Thanks to his wisdom, I was able to deepen my knowledge on Hakusanroku history. The sun had set by the time I left the temple, and the streets were beautifully lit with illumination that, when combined with the lamps from the shops, added a wonderful atmosphere to the area. We enjoyed walking and trying food from some of the shops before heading home.

ICT Shuntaro Yamazaki

雪だるままつり

2月8日に白峰地区で開催された雪だるままつりに学生とともに参加しました。今年は積雪が少なく、豪雪地とされる白峰も路肩に少し雪が残る程度でしたが、金沢工大生を含むボランティア達によって作られた、たくさんの雪だるまを見ながら散策を楽しみました。散策していると、林西寺のご住職から下山仏の見学を勧められました。招かれるままに御堂にお邪魔させていただき、御前峰（白山山頂）にあった銅造十二面観音菩薩を始め多くの仏像を拝見させていただきました。明治の神仏分離令以降に山を追われた仏像が下山仏として林西寺に安置されるまでの経緯を詳しく伺うことができ、白山麓の歴史をまた一段と深く理解することができました。林西寺を後にすると、あたりはすっかり日が暮れて、ライトアップが始まっていました。屋台の灯りと相まって一段と雰囲気が良くなった町並みを見ながら、皆で食べ歩きを楽しみました。

国際高専　山崎俊太郎