Picking up from where my last post left off, I stopped by the Kotokuin Temple to see the Kamakura Daibutsu (The Great Buddha of Kamakura). This bronze statue of Amida Buddha was created in the year 1252 and is the second tallest of its kind in Japan. To my understanding this statue was originally built inside of a building, but those buildings have long since been destroyed by typhoons.
A really cool thing about this particular statue is that visitors have the option of going inside of the Great Buddha. For only ¥10 visitors can enter the statue and see what the inside of such a historic part of the area is like. It’s a tight squeeze on entry but there was still enough room on the inside to move around freely without bumping into anybody.
The next stop I made while in Kamakura was to the Hasedera (Hase Temple). The scenery here was beautiful but what really struck me was how many statues there were on the premises. There are many statues at the various temples and shrines, but this time at this temple they just really stood out to me.
This is a smaller version of the statue of Kannon. This was outside along some of the steps that led up to other areas of the temple grounds. Photos were prohibited inside the hall where the full size Kannon statue was placed, but at least I was able to get a shot of this Kannon.
Jizo, the guardian deity of children.
