The Great Buddha of Kamakura, The Second Tallest Buddha Statue in Japan

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Kamakura: Nature and History Walking Tour

Kyoto, a center of arts and culture

Foreign tourists who travel to Japan in general always take the time to visit Kyoto. Kyoto is a great place to see the atmosphere of Japan in the past. The city was a center of arts and culture, as well as the capital of Japan before moving to Tokyo.

Before Kyoto became the capital, Japan had a small city, Kamakura City. Kamakura City became one of the centers of the military government of Shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo around 1192. Kamakura was located less than an hour’s drive from Tokyo, making Kamakura a must-visit city.

For foreign tourists who don’t have the chance to visit Kyoto due to time constraints, Kamakura can be an alternative tourist destination. Yes, Kyoto is about 700k km from Tokyo. If taking the Shinkansen bullet train takes up to two hours. Like Kyoto, in Kamakura, we can still meet the ancient and typical atmosphere of Japan when it was still controlled by the shogun.

The Great Buddha of Kamakura

Big Buddha, also known as Kamakura Daibutsu – The Great Buddha of Kamakura, is a very large Buddha statue. This Buddha statue is made of bronze with a height reaching 13.35 meters and is the second tallest Buddha statue in Japan. An even taller Buddha statue is located inside Todai-ji Temple in Nara City. However, in Nara, the statue is made of wood.

Kamakura Daibutsu was built in 1252, the power of the shogun continues to develop in Kamakura City so that a religious symbol is needed as a unifier. The many priests who lived at that time made Kamakura City rich in temples.

Big Buddha was previously located inside the temple hall. However, its location on a hill caused the temple to be often hit by hurricanes and sea waves in the 14th and 15th centuries. As a result, the temple was repeatedly destroyed. Well, finally the Big Buddha was left open since 1495

Besides Kamakura Daibutsu, there are many temples in the city. One of the famous ones is Hase-dera. In summer, the temple is filled with colorful hydrangeas or brow. In Hase-dera there is a statue of Kannon or Goddess of Forgiveness which has eleven heads, each representing each of the different stages in the process of seeking enlightenment. The height of the statue is around 9.18 meters, made of wood, and is said to be the largest carved wooden sculpture in Japan.

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Kamakura: Nature and History Walking Tour
Kamakura, located by the sea and surrounded by mountains, was the site of the first Japanese samurai administration. This walking tour follows a hiking route from Kita-Kamakura to Hase-dera Temple, passing many historic temples and shrines.