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Amida Buddha, Kotokuin
'Kōtoku-in' (高徳院) is a
Buddhist temple of the
Pure Land 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, and is the second largest monumental Buddha in Japan after
Tōdai-ji in
Nara.
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 a
tsunami sometime during the
Muromachi period in the late
fifteenth century. 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 Great Buddha

The Great Buddha, Kamakura
''The Great Buddha of Kamakura'' is a monumental outdoor
bronze statue of
Amida 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 a mere 20 Yen a person.
The Great Buddha was originally housed in a temple, but this was washed away by a
tsunami in
1495, 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.

Buddha's Slippers
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
Gallery
See also
★
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