Great Buddha of Kamakura
Buddhist Temples | April 8, 2010The Great Buddha of Kamakura (in Japan) is a monumental outdoor seated bronze statue of Amida Buddha. The statue is located in Kotokuin, a Buddhist temple of the Pure Land sect and is one of the popular symbols of Japan. The Great Buddha of Kamakura (known as Daibutsu in Japanese) is 13.35 metres high and weighs 93 tons and is the second largest Buddha statue in Japan after the one at Todaiji in the city of Nara. The Great Buddha of Kamakura was originally housed inside a temple (the statue dates back to 1252), which was washed away by tsunami in the late 15th century during the Muromachi period. One-Goroemon and Tanji-Hisatomo were the sculptors of the statue.
Statue:
The Great Buddha is seated in a lotus position with his hands forming Dhyani Mudra, the gesture of meditation. The statute has a tranquil gesture on its face and has wooded hills on the background. The statue is hollow, and visitors can view the interior by paying 20 Yens. The length of the face of the statue is 2.35 metres while the length of the eye is 1 metre.
Amida Buddha:
Amida Buddha is worshipped by those who preach Pure Land Buddhism. The sect originated in China and gained prominence in Japan in the 12th century.
Kamakura:
The city of Kamakura is located in Kanagawa, about 50 kilometres south-south-west of Tokyo. It was the political capital of Japan during the Kamakura Shogunnate from the 12th to 14th century AD. The city has an area of 40 square kilometres and has a population of 1,74,000.
Timing:
Kotokuin Temple: 7:00 am to 6 pm (till 17:30 from October to March); Admission: 200 yen
Statue Interior: 8:00 am to 4:30 pm
Reaching the site:
By air:
Tokyo Haneda Airport, Tokyo Narita Airport and Nagoya Chubu Centrair International Airports are located near Kamakura.
By rail:
Enoden Railway Hase Station is the nearest rail station to the Great Buddha. The fastest way is through JR Yokosuka Line from Tokyo and Yokohama stations. Another option is to take the private Odakyu line from Shinjuku to Fujisawa.
Getting around:
Buses are available from the railway station to explore Kamakura.
Other acttractions at Kamakura:
- Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu Shrine
- Myohonji Temple
- Hasedera (also known as ‘Hase Kannon’) it is known to be the largest wooden statue in Japan
- Zeniarai Benten Shrine
- Engakuji temple
- Kenchôji temple
- Tôkeiji nunnery
- Sugimotodera temple
- Hôkokuji known for lovely bamboo groves.
- Beaches like Shonan Coast, Yuigahama and Inamuragasaki
Accommodation:
- Kamakura-Hase Youth Hostel
- Kamakura Prince Hotel
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Stumble it
Kamakura has many festivals and other events in each of the seasons, usually based on its rich historical heritage.
They are often sponsored by private businesses and, unlike those in Kyoto, they are relatively small-scale events attended mostly by locals and a few tourists.
January in particular has many because it’s the first month of the year, so authorities, fishermen, businesses and artisans organize events to pray for their own health and safety, and for a good and prosperous working year.
Kamakura’s numerous temples and shrines, first among them city symbols Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū and Kenchō-ji, organize many events too, bringing the total to over a hundred.