"Strict Buddhist doctrines" for concreting Mt Taka

[Taro Toporific]

Who prefers concrete and cars to Tokyo's natural gem?
The legal fight goes on to save sacred Mount TakaoBy KEN KAWASHIMA, Special to The Japan Times; July 29, 2004
....The entire mountain [of Tokyo's Mount Takao] and its wildlife is being threatened by a tunnel project spearheaded by the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry that is part of a grandiose plan to build a 300-km road around Tokyo called the Ken-odo.... to shave minutes off journey times, two 10-meter-wide tunnels are planned to be blasted through Mount Takao's core.....
Meanwhile, up until now, one key reason that has ensured Mount Takao's forests remained in their natural state was the 1,200-year-old Yakuoin Temple' strict Buddhist doctrines forbidding the destruction of any wildlife on Mount Takao, whether animal or vegetable. During the feudal era, Yoshiyama even says the felling of a tree was a crime punishable by beheading.
....[Yakuoin] temple spokesperson put it last week: "We cannot take sides in matters of conflict, whether it be a war or the dispute over a new road. We must always remain neutral."