The is the smallest

Daibutsu or 'giant Buddha' is the Japanese term, often used informally, for large statues of Buddha. The oldest is that at Asuka-dera (609) and the best-known is that at Tōdai-ji in Nara (752). Tōdai-ji's daibutsu is a part of the UNESCO World Heritag ...

(Buddhist statue) in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. It is located in the city of

Kamagaya is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 109,941 living in 50,485 households and a population density of 5200 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Kamagaya is located in th ...

Chiba Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Chiba Prefecture has a population of 6,278,060 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Chiba Prefecture borders Ibaraki Prefecture to the north, Saitama Prefecture to the ...

, to the north of Tokyo.

History

The Kamagaya Daibutsu was commissioned by a wealthy local merchant, Okuniya Fukuda Bunemon, to pray for the souls of his ancestors. It was cast by Tagawa Shuzen, a noted foundry smith of

Kanda Kanda may refer to: People * Kanda (surname) *Kanda Bongo Man (born 1955), Congolese soukous musician Places * Kanda, Tokyo, an area in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan **Kanda Station (Tokyo), a railway station in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo * Kanda River, a ri ...

in Edo and It was completed in November 1776. It became the symbol of Kamagaya, and was protected by local residents against the movement to eradicate Buddhism of the early

Meiji period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

, and against efforts by the government to collect all available bronze for the war effort in World War II. It was designated as a cultural property of Kamagaya City in 1972. The statue remains property of the Fukuda family.

Measurements

* Total Height: ** Height of Statue: ** Height of Base:

Access

From

Funabashi Station is a railway station in Funabashi, Chiba, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and the private railway operator Tobu Railway. Lines Funabashi Station is served by the JR East Sōbu Main Line and from the starting point of ...

, board a bus towards Kamagaya-Daibutsu via Futawamichi (or board one towards Kamagaya-Daibutsu via Misaki Station). Alight at "Kamagaya-Daibutsu", the final stop. The nearest train station is

Kamagaya-Daibutsu Station is a railway station in the city of Kamagaya, Chiba, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Shin-Keisei Electric Railway. Lines Kamagaya-Daibutsu Station is served by the Shin-Keisei Line, and is 15.4 kilometers from the terminus of ...

(

Shin-Keisei Line The is a railway line in Japan owned by the private railway company Shin-Keisei Electric Railway, a subsidiary of Keisei Electric Railway. The line runs between Matsudo Station in Matsudo, Chiba, and Keisei-Tsudanuma Station in Narashino, Ch ...

). It takes approximately 24 minutes from

Matsudo Station is an interchange railway station in the city of Matsudo, Chiba, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and the private railway company Shin-Keisei Electric Railway. Lines Matsudo Station is served by the Jōban Line and is 15 ...

, 17 minutes from

Shin-Tsudanuma Station is a passenger railway station located in the city of Narashino, Chiba Prefecture Japan, operated by the private railway company, Shin-Keisei Electric Railway. The station is 400 meters from Tsudanuma Station on the JR East Sobu Main Line. ...

and 21 minutes from

Keisei-Tsudanuma Station is a junction passenger railway station in the city of Narashino, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Keisei Electric Railway. Lines Keisei Tsudanuma Station is served by the following lines. * Keisei Main Line * ...

. It is approximately one minute's walk from the Kamagaya-Daibutsu Station.

References

External links

Aerial view
{{Colossal Buddha statues Buildings and structures in Chiba Prefecture Tourist attractions in Chiba Prefecture Colossal Buddha statues in Japan Bronze Buddha statues Outdoor sculptures in Japan Kamagaya