Kamakura and the "Big Buddha"

As you can tell from our front page, we went to see the "big Buddha" today. I'll confess that that particular photo was not taken by me, but it is a scanned postcard that we bought. All the other photos that appear on this site are actually taken by myself or Deana.

The trip today was to Kamakura, which is about an hour away via train and has many temples and shrines. Based on the brochure/ gaijin map, there are about 50 temples in the area and we spent about 7 hours total seeing 4 or 5 of them. I'll post some photos of the temples and I'll quote from the brochure so you have a little history and information.

The first place we went to was the Hasedera Temple (ha-say dare-uh)
The Origins of Kamakura’s Hasedera Temple, according to legend, in 721 AD the pious monk Tokudo Shonin discovered a large camphor tree in the mountain forests near the village of Hase in the Nara region. He realized the trunk of the tree was so large that it provided enough material for carving two statues of the eleven-headed Kannon. The statue he commissioned to be carved from the lower part of the truck was enshrined in Hasedera Temple near Nara; the statue from the upper half (actually the larger of the two) was thrown into the sea with a prayer that it would reappear to save the people. Fifteen years later in 736 on the night of June 18, it washed ashore at Nagai Beach on the Miura Peninsula not far from Kamakura, sending out rays of light as it did. The statue was then brought to Kamakura and a temple was constructed to honor it. Since time immemorial, Hasedera Temple has been known as the 4th station among the 33 holy places in the Kanto area.

Areas within the Hasedera Temple:

Kannon-do Hall

The magnificent statue of Hase Kannon is housed here for all to see and worship. It is 30.1 feet tall and has 11 heads in addition to it's main one: 3 in front, 3 to the left, 3 to the right, one at the top (facing forward), and one at the back. Each face has a different expression, signifying that the deity listens to the wishes of all types of people. Hase Kannon is unique in that it holds a staff made of tin in its right hand and a vase of lotus flowers in it's left. Gold leaf was applied to to the statue in 1342. Although Kannon is usually described in English as "the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy", strictly speaking it is neither masculine or feminine. Kannon is Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (a Bodhisattva is a future Buddha, destined for enlightenment, who has vowed to save all sentient beings) and represents compassion, mercy, and love.

Amida-do Hall

Next to Kannon-do is a building where a golden seated statue of Yakuyoke (Protector from evil spirits) Amida Buddha, one of Kamakura's six principle statues of Amida, is enshrined. In 1194 Minamoto Yorimoto, the first Shogun of Japan, commissioned the statue. It measures 9.2 feet in height.

Shoro Belfry

To the right of Amida-do is Hasedera Temple's massive bronze bell. The thatched roof belfry was constructed in 1955. Following Buddhist tradition, the bell is rung 108 times beginning around midnight on December 31 each year to dispel the 108 sufferings of humanity. This ritual is called joya no kane.

Jizo-do Hall

Halfway down the steps to the lower level is a small building, in which Fukuju Jizo, or "Happy" Jizo, is enshrined. Surrounding the hall are thousands of little Jizo stone statues standing in long rows, some wearing bibs or knitted caps and festooned with cute charms. These statues are there to comfort the souls of unborn children. Jizo-Bostatsu is a Bodhisattva possessing great powers including all the blessings of the Earth.

Kyozo Sutra Archive

Directly in front of the restaurant is this interesting building. Inside are rotating bookracks, called rinzo, where the important Buddhist sutras for the temple are kept. By turning the rinzo, it is said that you can earn the same merit as from reading all the sutras.

Here is the view from the temple area:

---END HASEDERA TEMPLE---

Next stop on the Tour was "The Great Buddha"

This bronze statue of Amita Buddha was was cast in 1252 A.D. by the sculptors Ono-Goroemon and Tanji-Hisatomo at the request of Miss Inadano-Tsubone and Priest Joko, who not only originated the idea of building this large statue and the temple covering it, but also collected donations for it.

In 1498, a tidal wave swept away the great temple of the Buddha, leaving only the foundation stones. In the 500 years since then, the holy statue has been exposed to sunshine, storms, and snow. The statue is 13.35 meters tall and weighs 121 tons.

That concludes today's tour. I hope you did not find it too awfully boring.

I'll paste some other miscellaneous photos from today at the bottom of the post for your viewing enjoyment.

We welcome your comments and/ or questions!!

Curtis