Daibutsu, Great Buddha of Taiizan Kotokuin Shojosenji

Taiizan Kotokuin Shojosenji is a Jodo-Shu Buddhist temple located in the city of Kamakura in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. This Buddhist temple is also known as Kotoku-in. The temple is most popular because of the great Buddha statue of Amitabha Buddha. The statue is made up of bronze and is considered to be the famous icons of Japan.

The Great Buddha or Daibutsu is a bronze Buddha statue of Amitabh Buddha. As per temple records, the bronze Buddha statue was carved in the mid 13th century CE in the Kamakura period.

Historical account of the Daibutsu

It is documented that the Daibutsu of Taiizan Kotokuin Shosenji was carved in the mid 13th century CE in the Kamakura period. But before this statue was carved, the giant wooden Buddha statue was erected there. This wooden Buddha statue was completed in 1243 after ten years of continuous labor. It was recorded that the funds for carving this statue were raised by Lady Inada and the Buddhist priest Joko of Totomi. However, the wooden Buddha statue was damaged by a storm after five years of establishment. It was documented that the hall that housed wooden Buddha statue also collapsed during this calamity. Hence, the Buddhist priest Joko suggested of making Bronze Buddha statue.

The huge amount of money was collected for this purpose. It is assumed that the Bronze Buddha statue of Amitabha Buddha was cast by Ono Goroemon or Tanji Hisatomo. As both of them were the lead caster of that period. It is recorded that the Buddha statue was carved in a seating posture on the lotus petals pedestal confirming the Dhyana mudra. Along with the statue, the big hall was also built to house the statue. It is also recorded that at one time, the statue was gilded with gold. Therefore, one can still find the traces of gold leaf near the statue's ears.

Again in 1334 CE, the hall was destroyed by a storm. This time the storm could not do the damage to the Buddha statue because of the medium in which the statue was constructed. It was again rebuilt but could not stay for long. The storm in 1369 again destroyed the hall which was again rebuilt after some period. On 20 September 1498, during the Muromachi period, the hall was washed away in the tsunami leaving the Bronze Buddha statue. From this period onwards, the bronze Buddha statue has been standing in the open air.

The Buddha statue and the base of the statue, lotus petals, was destroyed during the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. This base was repaired in 1925 but the repairs to the statue were only carried out in 1960-1961 CE. In this period, the neck and strengthened and also necessary measures were taken to protect the statue from the possible earthquake in the future.

Iconography and features of Daibutsu

The statue of Daibutsu is portrayed in the seating posture in Dhayana Aasan. Both of the foot is covered by the monastic robe. The hand of the statue is depicted in the Dhyana Mudra. Both of the hand's thumb is touched to the tip of the index finger and both hand's fingertip are touched with each other. Regarding the hand, it is rested on the lap. The statue is adorned with the monastic robe covering both shoulders. The head of the Buddha statue confirms the Ushnisha and both earlobe are elongated, like in other Buddha statues.

About the measurement, the statue is approximately 13.35 meters tall including the base and weighs approximately 93 tons. Inside the statue, it is hollow making space for the visitors to view the interior of the statue. The statue once had thirty-two bronze lotus petals at the base of the statue but due to the earthquake, these petals are long gone.

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