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Enthroned on a gigantic pedestal in the center of the floor as the main object of worship is a giant sedentary statue of Jizo Bosatsu (Ksitigarbha-bodhisattva in Skt.) measuring as tall as 240 centimeters in sitting height and reaches 496 centimeters if the pedestal is included. For Zen temples, it is rare to enshrine a Jizo Bosatsu statue as the main object of worship. Why Jizo Bosatsu ? Before the Temple was erected, this site had been an execution ground for criminals, termed Jigoku-dani {gee-goh-koo-dah-nee} or the Hell's Valley. To console the souls of those criminals who may have been executed in cruel manner or even on false charge, Jizo Bosatsu was most suitable. The original Jizo Bosatsu statue was, however, destroyed by the fire in 1414, and the existing one was fashioned afterward.
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