Daibutsu and Daikannon Statues

To those planning a trip to Japan, I highly recommend visiting at least one of the Daibutsu or Daikannon statues. They are different images of Buddha of such a size as to make you feel a very small creature. At the same time, gazing at these massive statues brings a sense of peace. I've been fortunate to visit a few of them.

The bronze Daikannon statue of Yudanaka is 25 metres tall and stands on the top of a hill. To reach it you have to overcome 112 stairs where you then take in a grand view with mountains and clouds. In spring Daikannon is ‘drawn’ in sakura cherry blossoms.

The snow white Daikannon of Sendai towering over the city can be seen from afar, even from Aoba Mountain. The statue is 100 metres tall and it contains a ‘temple’ with smaller statues inside.

Todaiji in Nara contains a bronze Daibutsu that, at 15 metres tall, is the largest indoor statue in Japan. The bronze seated Daibustu in Kamakura is 'only' 13 metres tall, but the thought that he has been sitting there since 1252 makes it truly remarkable.

The tallest and the most impressive is Ushiku Daibutsu or Amida Buddha – being 120 meters tall it’s one of the tallest statues in the world. There are also 31 metre-tall stone statue of Buddha and bronze 16 metre-wide resting Buddha in Chiba Prefecture. But, as I’ve mentioned, the main thing is not their size, but the feelings experienced by being in their presence…