Kamakura Daibutsu

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Kamakura Daibutsu

Kotoku-in (高徳院) is a Buddhist temple of the Pure Land sect in the city of Kamakura in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
The temple is renowned for the Great Buddha (大仏, daibutsu), a monumental outdoor bronze statue of Amida Buddha which is one of the most famous icons of Japan and the national treasure of Japan. The statue stands at 13.35m (45 ft.) high and weighs approximately 93 tons.
The statue probably dates from 1252, in the Kamakura period, when temple records report the construction of a bronze statue. However, it is unclear whether that is the present statue. The statue was built inside a wooden temple, but that building washed away in the tsunami of 20 September 1498 during the Muromachi period in the late fifteenth century. The statue remains.
Visitor Info.
Entrance fee: 200 yen. Open from 7:00 am to 17:30 pm. You can enter inside of daibutsu which you have to pay extra 20 yen. Only new years- eve, it open mid-night to see lighten up daibutsu.
Access
0. at Kamakura Station.
1. use Enoden to Hase Station (9 min.)
2. walk north (10 min.)

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Detailed travel guide for Kamakura Daibutsu

The Great Buddha of Kamakura is a monumental outdoor bronze statue of Amitābha Buddha in the Kōtoku-in Temple in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
It is believed that the statue was originally cast in 1252, following an idea by the priest Joko, who also collected donations to build it. The sculptors were One-Goroemon and Tanji-Hisatomo. However, there are not enough evidence to proof who build for what reason. Not like the Great Buddha in Nara, Kamakura Daibutu keeps the original shape.
The statue is approximately 13.35m tall and weighs approximately 93 tons. The statue is hollow, and visitors can view the interior for a mere 20 Yen a person.
The Great Buddha was originally housed in a temple, but this was washed away by a tsunami in 1498. Since then the statue has stood in the open air. Repairs were carried out in 1960-1961, when the neck was strengthened and measures were taken to protect it from earthquakes.
There is slipper of the Buddha.
Details
• Weight; 93 tons
• Height; 13.35m
• Length of Face; 2.35m
• Length of Eye; 1.0m
• Length of Mouth; 0.82m
• Length of Ear; 1.90m
• Length from knee to knee; 9.10m
• Circumference of thumb; 0.85m
(reference: wikipedia)

Sightseeing guide around the area: Kamakura(鎌倉)

Kamakura 鎌倉
Terminal Station: JR Kamakura St.
Access from Tokyo
-By Train
0.At Tokyo Station
1.use JR Yokosuka LIne to Kamakura St. (55 min.)
-By Car
1. use Shuto Expressway and change to Yokosuka Expressway to Asahina ex. (52 min.)
2. take route 204 south to Kamakura (20 min.)

Kamakura was the capital of Japan during the Kamakura shogunate, from 1185 to 1333.
Kamakura is now mainly known for its temples and shrines. Kotoku-in, with the monumental outdoor bronze statue of Amida Buddha, is the most famous of these.
Kamakura is just a little too big to cover on foot, but a network of buses radiates out from the train station. Kotokuin and Hasedera can also be reached by taking the Enoden line three stops out to Hase station.
Nevertheless, for the energetic ones, there is a nice hike starting from the Tokeiji and ending near the Kotokuin. You will walk, with some climbing, through forest. The hike also passes through Zeniarai Benten Shrine, if you are curious about the money washing ceremony. The hike takes about 3 hours, if you also stop and visit the temples along the way. Even in Summer, the shade on the path manages to keep the temperature bearable (you still are in Japan in Summer, anyway!). If you are on a day-trip, doing the hike of course limits a bit the chances of visiting some of the less reachable temples.

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