二○一○年十二月二日，一間位於高雄市鼓山區千光路的日式民宅，在建物拆除工程進行中，意外地讓塵封七十餘年的日本石佛重見天日。連日來隨著各媒體的爭相報導，讓這座刻有「西國第一番」銘文及呈現如意輪觀音容像的石佛，一夕間成為世人矚目的焦點。至今為止，關於日治時期日本佛教所遺留下的遺跡或文物的探討，大致集中於北臺灣及東台灣，對於南台灣特別是日治時期被作為南進基地的港都高雄方面卻相當的缺乏。藉由這次文物的出土及初步考察，札可提供學界往後再論述日治時期日本佛教發展及宗教藝術重要的參考。本文綜合實地田野調查及相關史料成果，以民俗學的研究視野與探索技法為基礎。首先著眼於石佛座落位置的時空背景，為甚少受關注的日治時期真言宗在高雄的發展情形進行考察，具體理出一九一七年為該宗派在高雄開教之起點，並梳理出當時布教發展及宗教活動的狀況。接著考察焦點集中於高雄市千光路所發現的石佛，針對石佛文物及相關遺跡展開田野調查，對於該文物的傳承背景、造型特徵、銘文內容、保存狀態進行判讀解析，並與日本本地同類型的石佛做比較。最終由造像目的、造像背景、容像解析等三個層面著手，解析至今唯一發現於南臺灣的日本巡禮石佛，一探其背後所蘊含的歷史記憶及宗教意涵。

On December 2, 2010, during the demolition of a Japanese style house located on Cianguang Road in Gushan District of Kaohsiung City, a Japanese stone Buddha statue was accidentally discovered after more than seventy years of settling in the dust. In the days that followed, various media outlets rushed to the site to report on this discovery, making this Guanyin Cintamani Cakra stone Buddha statue with the engraved inscription, “Saikoku dai ichiban (Pilgrimage begins in the west),” the focus of the world’s attention overnight. Until then, most studies on Japanese religious artifacts from the Japanese Colonial Era had focused on Buddhist relics and remains found in northern and eastern Taiwan. In southern Taiwan, Kaohsiung, which had been used as a southern harbor base for the occupying Japanese, had been relatively ignored in these studies. This preliminary research of the unearthed artifacts can be used as an important reference for the academic community to further discuss the development of Japanese Buddhism and religious art during the Japanese Colonial Era. Using research on folklore and investigative techniques, this paper combines fieldwork findings with historical data. First taking into consideration the historical background of the site, the conditions for the development of the lesser studied Shingon Buddhism during the colonial era are investigated. It has been determined that this form of Buddhism was first introduced to Kaohsiung in 1917. Also, studies on the customs for preaching and religious activities of that era are organized and analyzed. The focus of this investigation is on Kaohsiung’s Cianguang Road where the stone statues were discovered and fieldwork was conducted. To further understand the historical background, style, inscriptions, and preservation of these Buddha statues and related relics, these artifacts have been compared to similar statues from Japan. Analyzing their purpose and background, as well as the Buddha statues’ facial characteristics, this detailed investigation strives to further understand the historical and religious context of the Japanese stone Buddha statues along the pilgrimage found only in Southern Taiwan.