is a

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhism, Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat, khurul and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in B ...

of the

Ōbaku school Ōbaku Zen or the Ōbaku school () is one of three main schools of Japanese Zen Buddhism, in addition to the Sōtō and Rinzai schools. The school was founded in Japan by the Chinese monk Ingen Ryūki, who immigrated to Japan during the Manchu ...

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

Gifu is a Cities of Japan, city located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country. Durin ...

Gifu Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,910,511 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa Prefecture ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

.Gifu Great Buddha
. Gifu Convention and Visitors Bureau. Accessed June 5, 2007. It is a branch temple of Mampuku-ji in

Uji is a city on the southern outskirts of the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Founded on March 1, 1951, Uji is between the two ancient capitals of Nara and Kyoto. The city sits on the Uji River, which has its source in Lake Biwa ...

Kyoto Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Kyoto Prefecture has a population of 2,561,358 () and has a geographic area of . Kyoto Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the northeast, Shiga Prefecture ...

. The temple has many aspects of the Ōbaku school, but its building style and sacraments are in the Chinese style. Additionally, it is much larger than the average Japanese temple. The temple's official name is Kinpōzan Shōhō-ji (金鳳山正法寺).Gifu Shouhouji Daibutsu
Shōhō-ji. Accessed December 4, 2007.

History

The temple was first established in 1638, but did not join the Ōbaku school until 1692. In 1790, Ichū (推中), the 11th head priest, began planning the construction of the

Gifu Great Buddha The is a large Buddhist statue located in Shōhō-ji (Gifu), Shōhō-ji in Gifu, Gifu, Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It was conceived by the 11th head priest of Kinpouzan Shōhō temple, Ichyuu, around 1790, in hopes of averting large earthq ...

out of respect for

Tōdai-ji is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Nanto Shichi Daiji, Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Nara, Nara, Japan. The construction of the temple was an attempt to imitate Chinese temples from the much-admir ...

's Great Buddha in

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...

. Ichū never saw the completed Buddha, as he died in 1825. The Great Buddha was finally completed in 1832.

References and external links

Images

File:岐阜大仏-正法寺 Gifudaibutsu001.jpg, Shoho-ji File:岐阜大仏-大仏殿-正法寺 (岐阜市)gifudaibutsu002.jpg, Shoho-ji File:岐阜大仏-正法寺 (岐阜市)gifudaibutsu003.jpg File:岐阜大仏-正法寺 (岐阜市)Gifudaibutsu008.jpg File:岐阜大仏-正法寺 (岐阜市)gifudaibutsu010.jpg File:岐阜大仏-正法寺 (岐阜市)-五百羅漢Gifudaibutsu019.jpg File:岐阜大仏-正法寺 (岐阜市)-五百羅漢gifudaibutsu024.jpg Buildings and structures in Gifu Buddhist temples in Gifu Prefecture Obaku temples 1638 establishments in Japan Gifu Prefecture designated tangible cultural property {{zen-stub