Kōtoku-in (高徳院) is a Buddhist temple of the Jōdo shū sect in the city of Kamakura in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
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.[1] 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.[2] The poem appears in its entirety in "The Five Nations" of 1903.[2]
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The Great Buddha
The Great Buddha of Kamakura is a monumental outdoor bronze statue of Amitābha Buddha in the Kōtoku-in Temple in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
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.[1] 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
See also
- For an explanation of terms concerning Japanese Buddhism, Japanese Buddhist art, and Japanese Buddhist temple architecture, see the Glossary of Japanese Buddhism.
Notes
- ^ a b Tsuji, Yoshinobu (1983), "Study on the Earthquake and the Tsunami of September 20, 1498", in Iida, Kumiji; Iwasaki, Toshio, Tsunamis: Their Science and Engineering, Proceedings of the International Tsunami Symposium, 1981, Tokyo: Terra Scientific Publishing (Terrapub), pp. 185–204, ISBN 90-277-1611-0
- ^ a b Rudyard Kipling, "The Buddha at Kamakura" retrieved on November 2008
See also
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- Ushiku Daibutsu - the world's tallest statue of Buddha in Ushiku, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan.
- Tōdai-ji - temple in Nara, home to largest bronze Buddha statue in Japan.
- Tian Tan Buddha - located in Hong Kong, world's tallest seated Buddha statue.
- Daibutsu
- List of National Treasures of Japan (sculptures)
Coordinates: 35°19′0.59″N 139°32′8.48″E / 35.3168306°N 139.5356889°E
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