岐阜 かご大仏 Gifu Kago-daibutsu The Great Buddha of Gifu, the Basket Buddha
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Shoboji Temple in Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture houses an image of the Buddha that is 13.63 meters high. This is Japan’s largest Kanshitsubutsu (an image of Buddha made of dry lacquer). It is popularly called “the Basket Buddha” because of its rare method of woven bamboo construction. It consists of wood and bamboo frame that was plastered with clay and then covered with washi on which Buddhist scriptures were written. After that the image was finished with coats of golden lacquer. After 38 years of construction work, the statue was completed in 1832. With his upper body leaning a little forward and the thumb and index finger on the right hand forming a circle, the Great Buddha shows a very gentle countenance. The cross section drawing of the Great Buddha Statue shows that inside the Buddha, there is another statue of the Yakushi Nyorai, which we cannot see directly.
- address
- 8 Daibutsu-cho, Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan 500-8018
- name
- Shoboji Temple
- phone
- 058-264-2760