Buddha Statue Kamakura

The Buddha Statue Kamakura is a popular tourist destination, located in the coastal city of Kamakura on the southern part of Tokyo. More popularly known as 'The Great Buddha of Kamakura', this huge statue is one of the biggest landmarks located close to the capital of Japan.

The Great Buddha, commonly referred to as Daibutsu, is a national treasure and one of the most important historical landmarks of Japan. This huge statue was built by Priest Joko and Lady Inada in the year 1252. As per historical records, the statue was first constructed in the year 1243. The original statue was made of wood and the diameter of its head was around 24 meters. This statue was however destroyed in a storm in the year 1247. Thereafter, Lady Inada and Priest Joko collected a huge sum of money through fund raising campaigns and constructed the bronze statue in the year 1252. The statue was built in order to fulfill the wish of Yoritomo Minamoto, the founder of the Kamakura Shogunate.

The Buddha Statue Kamakura is a bronze statue of Amida Buddha. The statue is 13.35 meters high, nearly seven tenth the size of the Great Buddha Statue of Todaiji in Nara. The entire statue weighs 93 tones. The length of the face is 2.35 meters with the eyes measuring 1.0 meter and the ears measuring 1.90 meters. The statue is hollow and is made of copper, lead, tin, aluminum ad iron. The thickness of the bronze varies from 3 to 12 centimeters, depending upon the part of the statue.

The striking feature of the statue are thin horizontal lines, that one can get to see when taking a closer look at the statue. These lines are proof of the patchwork that was done on the statue with eight pieces of bronze. With the passage of time, the statue has however lost its shine. Traces of its original color are however visible only in its ear. The statue is that of Buddha in a sitting posture. The hands are placed on the lap with the thumbs and the index fingers making a circle, which is typical of the Amida Nyorai Statues of Japan.
The Buddha Statue of Kamakura is located in the Kotokuin Temple of Kamakura. The statue was originally placed inside a huge temple, whose walls were washed away in a tsunami in the year 1495. The temple is more like a park with a statue of a hero placed in the center. Tourists coming to visit this place can also pay a visit to the Kangetsudo Temple, located behind the statue. This is a huge hall houses the statue of Sho Kan'on and was built in the memory of Priest Yuten. Tourists can also check out the stone marker of Akiko Yosana, a Tanka poet. It is placed on the right side of the hall and contains the poet's impression when she first saw the huge statue.

One can get to the Buddha Statue Kamakura near Tokyo by walking from the Enoden Railway Hase Station. Enoden is streetcar like train, which connects Kamakura with Enoshima and Fujisawa. The Enoden station is the third station from the Kamakura station.
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The Buddha Statue in Kamakura is one of the most amazing tourist attractions of Japan. The huge statue is one of the major cultural heritages of the country and a hence worth paying a visit.

Hotels in Tokyo
Ascent Shinjuku Hotel	Toko Hotel
Kent Hotel	Green Ochanomizu Hotel
Sunroute Asakusa Hotel	Kasai Pearl Hotel