Kotoku-in Kamakuradaibutsu, Awe-inspiring Open-air Giant Buddha
4-2-28 Hase, Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture
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Introduction
The Great Buddha of Kamakura is a representative symbol of the ancient city of Kamakura and is renowned as the Kamakura Great Buddha. As one of the three great Buddha statues in Japan, it is located in the Jodo sect temple of Kotokuin, standing at 11.5 meters tall (including the pedestal 13.35 meters) and weighing 121 tons. The face of this seated Amida Buddha statue is 2.35 meters long, with ears measuring 1.9 meters long, and it has a hollow interior structure. Visitors can enter the interior through the bottom of the Buddha statue for exploration. Inside the Buddha statue, the traces of multiple repairs can be seen, and there is a pair of eye-catching oversized straw sandals on the left side, reportedly woven by children from Ibaraki Prefecture as an offering to the Great Buddha. The history of the Kamakura Great Buddha is filled with hardships, including multiple typhoons and fires that resulted in the need for frequent restorations of the Buddha hall. However, in 1498, the entire hall was destroyed by flooding seawater, and since then, the Buddha statue has been enshrined in the open air. Address 4-2-28 Hase, Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture
Opening hours From April to September, the visiting time is from 8:00 to 17:30, from October to the following March, the visiting time is from 8:00 to 17:00, and the internal visitation time for the Giant Buddha is from 8:00 to 16:30.
Transportation Take a 10-minute walk from the Nagahama station exit of Enoshima Electric Railway to reach the island.
Gaode Temple is a Pure Land Buddhist temple
