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The official title of the Kamakura Daibutsu is Kondou-Amidai-Nyourai-Zou. The statue was cast by either Ono Goroemon or Tanji Hisamoto in 1252 AD in the city of Kamakura. It is the second largest Buddha in Japan (the largest is located in the Todaiji Temple in Nara) and about the third largest Buddha in the world. During the period when the Kamakura Daibutsu was being made Kamakura was the capitol of Japan under the rule of shogun Minamoto Yorimoto and the Emperor Shi-jo. The Kamakura period - lasted from 1192 until 1333 - was very important to solidifying the presence of Buddhism in Japan. Sects like the Jodo, Nichiren and Zen were all founded or introduced and accepted by almost all of the population of many different levels of social standing.
The Daibutsu belongs to the Kotokuin Temple of the Jodo sect of Buddhism. The Jodo sect is a Pure Land sect of Buddhism that was founded in China, but was introduced into Japan in 1175 AD. Like all Pure Land sects the Jodo believe that to achieve salvation a person had to go to a higher power for aid. Those higher powers are Bodhisattvas, which are Buddhas that live in other universes. The Daibutsu was built with funds collected by a priest named Johko to help fulfill the wishes of the shogun Minamoto Yorimoto.
The Kamakura Daibutsu is a magnificent figure that represents Amida or more properly the Amidabutsu. The Amida is a Bodhisattva that is seen by followers of Pure Land sects to be sympathetic and compassionate beings who can help a person with great faith be reborn into a Pure Land where they could attain enlightenment.
The Daibutsu symbolizes peace a need for meditation in life. The Statue is perceived to be sitting in perfect meditation never changing by the world around him.
On the forehead of the Daibutsu there is a diamond-like shape on his forehead, which is meant to represent him enlightening the world. The placement of the hands on the statue is also important because it is interpreted to mean a solid and steadfast belief. In a way the power of the Daibutsu can be seen in its ability to remain intact for 748 years.
In the time since it was cast there have been innumerable earthquakes that have rocked Japan and none have harmed the Daibutsu. In 1495 a tsunami washed away the temple that was built around the Daibutsu, but the Daibutsu remained intact and relatively unharmed. The Kamakura Daibutsu is a truly amazing specimen of Buddhist Material Culture and provided below are more useful and fun links to learn more about the Kamakura Daibutsu and Buddhism. |
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The temple is renowned for the Great Buddha (大仏 - daibutsu), a monumental outdoor bronze statue of Amida Buddha which is one of the most famous icons of Japan. The statue stands at 13.35 meters high and weighs approximately 93 tons.
The statue probably dates from 1252, in the Kamakura period, when temple records report the construction of a bronze statue. However, it is unclear whether that is the present statue. The statue was built inside a wooden temple, but that building washed away in the tsunami of September 20th, 1498 during the Muromachi period. The statue remains.
The statue is referred to as "The Buddha at Kamakura" in several verses that preface the initial chapters of the novel Kim by Rudyard Kipling, 1901. The verses were taken from the poem of the same name the writer wrote after visiting Kamakura in 1892. The poem appears in its entirety in "The Five Nations" of 1903.
The Great Buddha
The Great Buddha of Kamakura is a monumental outdoor bronze statue of Amitābha Buddha in the Kōtoku-in Temple.
It is believed that the statue was originally cast in 1252, following an idea by the priest Joko, who also collected donations to build it. The sculptors were One-Goroemon and Tanji-Hisatomo.
The statue is approximately 13.35m tall and weighs approximately 93 tons. The statue is hollow, and visitors can view the interior for 20 Yen a person.
The Great Buddha was originally housed in a temple, but this was washed away by a tsunami in 1498. Since then the statue has stood in the open air. Repairs were carried out in 1960-1961, when the neck was strengthened and measures were taken to protect it from earthquakes.
Details
- Weight : 93 tons
- Height : 13.35m
- Length of Face : 2.35m
- Length of Eye : 1.0m
- Length of Mouth : 0.82m
- Length of Ear : 1.90m
- Length from knee to knee : 9.10m
- Circumference of thumb : 0.85m
The Great Buddha is located a 5 minute walk from the Enoden Railway Hase Station, the third station from Kamakura main station. The Enoden is a streetcar-like train that connects Kamakura with Enoshima and Fujisawa. Its terminal station in Kamakura is located just west of JR Kamakura Station. |
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