Kitakyodo Mountain Cave

...Buddhist caves from the Northern Qi period located about 30 km west of Ci Xian in southern Hebei Province, China. Opened on the southern and northwest limestone slopes of Gushan, a mountain range on the eastern edge of the Taihang Mountains, the former is called Nanxiangtangshan and the latter Beixiangtangshan. Nanxiangtangshan is divided into two levels, upper and lower, both facing southwest, with two caves on the lower level and five caves on the upper level arranged side by side. The two caves on the lower level are square caves with a square pillar in the center, each about 6.3 meters on a side and 4.7 meters high. There are niches on the front and sides of the square pillar with Buddha statues carved into them, and Buddhist niches and sutras are carved on the surrounding walls of the caves. The upper level is all square caves that open onto a wide terrace, and although there is no square pillar cave, the cave at the southeastern end consists of two rooms, one at the front and one at the back. ...

*Some of the terminology used in reference to Kitakyodoyama Cave is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…中国の河北省南部，磁県西方約30kmにある北斉時代の仏教石窟。太行山脈東縁の一山塊である鼓山の南端と北西との石灰岩山腹に開かれ，前者を南響堂山，後者を北響堂山とよぶ。南響堂山は上下2層に分かれ，ともに南西に面し下層に2窟，上層に5窟が並列している。下層2窟は中央に方柱をおく方形窟で，1辺約6.3m，高さ4.7m。方柱正面や側面に龕（がん）があって仏像を彫り出し，窟周壁にも仏龕や経典を刻む。上層はみな広いテラスに向かって開く方形窟で，方柱窟はないが，南東端の窟は前後2室から成る。…

※「北響堂山石窟」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報