Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Biosphere 2 campus (2016)
Biosphere 2: How Volunteers Survived for 2 Years in an Airtight Habitat
Places like Forest Grove linger on the edge of wilderness and civilization.
Listening for Echoes of the Forest Grove Sound
Longwood House, where Napoleon Bonaparte spent his final years.
The Longwood House: Napoleon Bonaparte’s Beautiful Prison
 Fenway Park at night
How Was Your First Trip With Your Significant Other?

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Japan Kyonan Nihonji Daibutsu: The Great Buddha of Nihonji

Nihonji Daibutsu: The Great Buddha of Nihonji

This giant seated Bhudda of Healing dates to the 1780s.

Kyonan, Japan

Added By
Clinton
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
The Great Buddha of Nihon-ji Temple, Mount Nokogiri.   Douglas Paul Perkins
The Great Buddha of Nihon-ji Temple.   Jennie Kondo
Nihonji Daibutsu and plum trees in spring.   Ogiyoshisan
The largest stone-cut Great Buddhas in Japan.   Captain76
  Emily Zarndt
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

There are many daibutsu, or Great Buddha statues, across Japan. While the ones in Kamakura and Nara are more famous and popular, it is impossible to deny that the Great Buddha of Nihon-ji Temple is a unique one.

Standing (or, more accurately, sitting) over 30 meters tall, this daibutsu is the largest stone-cut effigy of Buddha in Japan. It depicts Yakushi Nyorai, the Buddha of Healing, also known as Bhaisajyaguru in Sanskrit.

It was carved out of Bōshū-ishi, tuffaceous sandstone that is exclusively quarried from Mount Nokogiri, on which Nihon-ji Temple is built. It is also the material used to build Tateishi-sama, strange stone that was worshipped as a local deity in Tokyo.

The original Buddha was created in 1783 by Ōno Jingorō Eirei with the help of 27 of his apprentices. It stood 37.7 meters tall then, but the rain and wind eroded the rock sculpture, to the point that it had been all but destroyed by the mid-19th century. It underwent restoration work in 1966, which was completed in 1969. As it had to steer clear of the remains of the ruined Buddha, but be made in its place, the new sculpture was made smaller than the original.

Nihon-ji Temple itself dates back to 725, when it was founded by Nara-period priest Gyōki. There are said to be over 1,500 stone statues in this temple, including the Great Buddha and the Hyaku-shaku Kannon, 30-meter-tall rock sculpture of the Buddhist goddess of mercy. Its grounds extend to the entirety of Mount Nokogiri.

Related Tags

Monuments Statues Sacred Spaces Giant Buddhas
Atlas Obscura Adventures

Hidden Japan: Sado Island, Nara & Kyoto

Explore a different side of Japan.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

Clinton

Edited By

aribrown, nicholasabateman, kostas1964ath, sendhair...

  • aribrown
  • nicholasabateman
  • kostas1964ath
  • sendhair
  • Fred Cherrygarden

Published

December 17, 2009

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Nihonji Daibutsu: The Great Buddha of Nihonji
Nokogiriyama Tozan Expressway
Kyonan, 299-1901
Japan
35.158227, 139.83083
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Mount Nokogiri (Saw Mountain)

Kyonan, Japan

miles away

Nusuttogari

Miura, Japan

miles away

Sarushima - "Monkey Island"

Yokosuka, Japan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Kyonan

Kyonan

Japan

Places 2

Nearby Places

Mount Nokogiri (Saw Mountain)

Kyonan, Japan

miles away

Nusuttogari

Miura, Japan

miles away

Sarushima - "Monkey Island"

Yokosuka, Japan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Kyonan

Kyonan

Japan

Places 2

Related Stories and Lists

The Five Best Giant Buddhas (Daibutsu) of Japan

By Clinton

Related Places

  • Sakura tie in Showa Daibutsu, Aomori

    Aomori, Japan

    Showa Daibutsu

    The tallest bronze seated statue of the Buddha in Japan.

  • Photo by Ginza-line

    Ushiku, Japan

    Ushiku Daibutsu: The Great Buddha of Ushiku

    The third-tallest statue in the world depicts the "Buddha of Infinite Light," complete with observation deck in his chest.

  • Santuario del Cristo Roto

    San José de Gracia, Mexico

    Santuario del Cristo Roto (Sanctuary of the Broken Christ)

    On a picturesque lake island, a massive, “broken” crucifixion has become a popular pilgrimage destination.

  • The giant Buddha looms over the pathway.

    Beruwala, Sri Lanka

    Kande Vihara

    This amazing mountain temple is topped by one of the tallest sitting Buddha statues in the world.

  • Education and Youth

    Plymouth, Massachusetts

    National Monument to the Forefathers

    Plymouth's huge yet little-known memorial to the Pilgrims.

  • Statue of the sculptor himself, Thomas Battersby Child, Jr.

    Salt Lake City, Utah

    Gilgal Sculpture Garden

    A hidden garden of stones engraved with scriptures, a Joseph Smith Sphinx, all carved by one man.

  • Black Christ of Portobelo

    Portobelo, Panama

    Black Christ of Portobelo

    A mysterious dark-skinned Christ statue has been this town's religious center for centuries.

  • Drombeg Stone Circle

    Rosscarbery, Ireland

    Drombeg Stone Circle

    One of the most popular megalithic sites in Ireland stands as a humbler version of Stonehenge.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.