Kamakura Great Buddha (Kamakura Daibutsu)

Kamakura Daibutsuden Kōtoku-in (Daiizan Kōtoku-in Shōjōsen-ji) is a temple of the Jōdo sect located in Hase, Kamakura City, and its principal image is the National Treasure “Bronze Seated Amitabha Buddha,” the so-called Great Buddha of Kamakura. Although many details remain unclear regarding the exact date and circumstances of its founding, it has been handed down to the present day as a Jōdo sect temple since it was restored in the Edo period by the great Jōdo priests Yūten Shōnin and Yōkoku Shōnin. The Jōdo sect, founded by Hōnen Shōnin, teaches that all people can attain Amida Buddha’s salvation by reciting “Namu Amida Butsu.” The seated Amitabha Buddha at Kōtoku-in is also said to have been created in prayer for the safety and peace of the warrior government and the common people, as well as the salvation of all beings.

■ History of its construction and the “mysterious Great Buddha”
The Great Buddha of Kamakura is classified as a “gilded bronze Buddha,” a statue cast in a copper alloy and covered with gold leaf or gold plating. The official history of the Hōjō Tokusō family, Azuma Kagami, states that construction began in 1252, and this year is regarded as the standard reference date for the Great Buddha’s creation. However, the sculptor, the actual production system, and the detailed casting process are unknown, and much about it remains shrouded in mystery to this day.
Azuma Kagami also notes “the beginning of the Great Buddha Hall project” in 1238, before 1252, and records that fund-raising was carried out by order of the shogunate. This suggests that the Kamakura shogunate likely played the leading role in the Great Buddha’s construction. The first Great Buddha was made of wood, and it is said that both the Great Buddha and the Great Buddha Hall were completed in 1243. About ten years later, it is believed to have been remade into the current gilded bronze statue, but the reasons and details are unclear, leaving a major mystery in the Great Buddha’s history.

■ Scale and structure — one of Japan’s representative Great Buddhas
The Kamakura Great Buddha has a statue height of about 11.3 meters (seated height 11.31 meters), and a total height including the pedestal of about 13.35 meters, with an estimated weight of about 121 tons. Its imposing form, along with the Great Buddha of Tōdai-ji in Nara, is counted among Japan’s “Three Great Buddhas,” and it is also the only National Treasure Buddha in Kamakura.
The interior of the Great Buddha is hollow, and visitors may enter the body by paying an admission fee. The inner walls preserve lattice-like casting marks, showing traces of bronze casting carried out in about 40 separate pours. A technique called ikarakuri was used to connect and strengthen each cast section, allowing visitors to appreciate the advanced casting technology of the Kamakura period. In addition, there are two openings at the back of the Great Buddha, originally made to remove soil and molds used in casting; today they serve as light windows when viewing the interior.

■ Collapse of the Great Buddha Hall and the “open-air Great Buddha”
Originally, the Kamakura Great Buddha was enshrined inside the Great Buddha Hall, but from the 14th century onward the hall was repeatedly damaged by natural disasters. Taiheiki and Kamakura Daijiki record that the Great Buddha Hall suffered severe damage from powerful winds in 1334 and 1369, and from a great earthquake and tsunami in 1498. As these disasters accumulated, the hall was lost, and from around the 16th century onward the Great Buddha came to stand outdoors as it does today.
Within the temple grounds, 56 large foundation stones remain around the Great Buddha. It is believed that the original Great Buddha Hall was supported by 60 foundation stones, 56 of which survive today. The scale of these stones suggests how enormous the hall once was. Although the hall was lost to disasters, the Great Buddha itself survived collapse, and in the mid-Edo period it was repaired and restored by Yūten Shōnin and Yōkoku Shōnin, after which Kōtoku-in was established as it is today.

■ Features as a Buddhist statue and its beauty
The Kamakura Great Buddha is highly acclaimed not only for its size but also for its beautiful form. The gently arched bridge of the nose flowing into the brows, the calm horizontal gaze with lowered eyes, and the faint smile on the lips combine softness with dignity. Its realistic expression and elements sometimes described as resembling Greek sculpture merge strength and refinement characteristic of the Kamakura period.
The curled hair, known as rahotsu, consists of neatly arranged small protuberances and symbolizes the wisdom of one who has attained enlightenment. Between the eyebrows is a white spiral called byakugō, from which the light of compassion and wisdom is said to radiate. Even today, traces of gold leaf can still be seen on the surface, and it is said that at the time of its creation the entire statue shone in gold.

■ Hand gesture and Buddhist meaning
The Great Buddha’s hands are quietly joined in the lap, forming the jōbon jōshō-in mudra. This symbolizes the highest rank among those who are reborn in Amida Buddha’s Pure Land and represents deep meditation and a serene state of enlightenment. Buddhas are said to possess ideal physical features known as the thirty-two marks and eighty characteristics, and the Great Buddha’s well-balanced form also reflects these elements of beauty.

■ Literature and the Great Buddha of Kamakura
Because of its beauty and grandeur, the Great Buddha of Kamakura has appeared in many literary works. The poet Yosano Akiko left the famous poem:

Kamakura ya
mi hotoke naredo
Shakamuni wa
bijin ni ohasu
natsukodachi kana

A poetic monument inscribed with this poem stands within the temple grounds. Three other literary monuments are also scattered throughout the precincts, showing that the Great Buddha of Kamakura has long been a cultural and artistic symbol as well.

■ Highlights within the temple grounds
Kōtoku-in offers many sights, including the powerful guardian Niō statues enshrined at the Niō Gate and the giant “Great Waraji” straw sandal displayed in the corridor. Measuring about 1.8 meters in length and weighing about 45 kilograms, the Great Waraji is offered once every three years by a children’s association from Hitachiota City, Ibaraki Prefecture, with the wish that the Great Buddha “travel throughout Japan and bring happiness to the people.”

■ The significance of the Kamakura Great Buddha today
More than 750 years after its creation, the Kamakura Great Buddha is still beloved by many people beyond nationality and sect. It serves as a symbol of Buddhism’s eastward transmission and welcomes many visitors not only as a tourist attraction but also as a place to quietly join one’s hands in prayer. With the green backdrop of Gokōzan behind it, its gentle figure standing ever so slightly forward continues to bring deep peace and reverence to all who visit.