or 'giant Buddha' is the
Japanese term, often used informally, for large
statues
A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size. A sculpture ...
of
Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),*
*
*
was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...
. The oldest is that at
Asuka-dera (609) and the best-known is that at
Tōdai-ji
is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Nanto Shichi Daiji, Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Nara, Nara, Japan. The construction of the temple was an attempt to imitate Chinese temples from the much-admir ...
in
Nara
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...
(752).
The Tōdai-ji Daibutsu is a part of the
UNESCO World Heritage Site
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
as one of the seven
Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara
Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara is a UNESCO World Heritage Site consisting of eight places in the old capital Nara in Nara Prefecture, Japan. Five are Buddhist temples, one is a Shinto shrine, one is a Palace and one a primeval forest. The pr ...
and a
National Treasure.
Examples
There are also several in Aichi Prefecture.
https://www.aichi-now.jp/en/features/detail/4/
See also
*
Japanese Buddhism
Buddhism was first established in Japan in the 6th century CE. Most of the Japanese Buddhists belong to new schools of Buddhism which were established in the Kamakura period (1185－1333). During the Edo period (1603–1868), Buddhism was cont ...
*
Japanese Buddhist architecture
Examples of Buddhist architecture in Japan
Japanese Buddhist architecture is the architecture of Buddhist temples in Japan, consisting of locally developed variants of architectural styles born in China.p=716/ref> After Buddhism arrived from ...
*
Japanese sculpture
*
List of National Treasures of Japan (sculptures)
References
External links
Photographs and information on famous DaibutsuNew York Public Library Digital Gallery, early photograph of Kamakura Daibutsu from rearNew York Public Library Digital Gallery, early photograph of Hyōgo Daibutsu
{{Colossal Buddha statues
Buddhist sculpture
Japanese sculpture
Sculptures in Japan