Giant Buddha Statues at Kamakura and Nara Shrines Are Relics of Japanese Cultural History You Know?!
The two most famous Buddha statues in Japan are at Kotokuin Temple in Kamakura and Todaiji Temple in Nara. Measuring 13.35 and 15 meters (43.8 and 49.2 feet) in diameter respectively, are both jaw-dropping artistic accomplishments, but there is a little-known temple in the mountains of Tochigi Prefecture where a statue of Buddha towers over it.
Quoted from https://thelibbymuseum.org/ this temple is called Seirinji, written with the kanji for “pure” (清) and “forest” (林). In essence the name is not in honor of the local forest, but in honor of the Buddhist nuns who founded the temple some 700 years ago.
However, Buddha Seirinji has a friendly and inviting face, because his right hand is raised like a person praying while his left hand looks like he is waving and saying “Hai!” This is one of the giant Buddha statues that can be approached up close.
In addition, the Seirinji statue also looks very slim. Sometimes people think that Buddha statues have a fatter physique, but Seirinji Buddha has a flat stomach, which is accentuated by the look of his fitting stone clothes.
The giant Seirinji Buddha is actually a reproduction of the Avukana Buddha statue in Sri Lanka, carved from granite in the 5th century. The project was undertaken with the support of the Sri Lankan government and was completed in 1988, and Seirinji is also blessed with the relics of Shakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, and his disciples Sariputra and Maudgalyayana, who are enshrined at the site.
Looking like the “Sacred Forest” flower garden located near the Yomiuri Land amusement park, Seirinji is one of the historical relics that has Japanese religious culture. This Buddha looks really cool and is especially worth a visit in mid-spring when the temple peony bushes are in bloom.
