[For Seniors] Trivia Quiz & Fun Facts About the Great Buddha of Kamakura: Questions You'll Want to Share

Akiko Yosano

This tanka was composed by Akiko Yosano. Yosano, a poet known for her passionate style, made major contributions to the development of modern tanka. In this poem, she praises the Great Buddha of Kamakura as a handsome man and vividly depicts the scene of gazing up at the statue amid the summer grove.

left-handed

While many large Buddha statues commonly have right-twisted curls, the Great Buddha of Kamakura is characterized by left-twisted curls. If you look closely at the statue, you can see that each individual curl is twisted to the left in the same direction.

urna (the white hair tuft between the eyebrows of a Buddha)

The white tuft of hair attached to the forehead of the Great Buddha of Kamakura is called the “byakugō,” or urna. The byakugō is a common feature of Buddhist statues and is counted among the Thirty-Two Marks of a Great Man possessed by the Buddha. This part symbolizes the Buddha’s wisdom and compassion, and it is traditionally said to be a white, tightly curled hair forming a spiral. Noticing it when viewing Buddhist statues can help you feel a deeper sense of the Buddha’s grace and history.

4 sheets

On the back of the Great Buddha of Kamakura, four decorative plates called renben, shaped like lotus petals, are arranged in a row. Renben are lotus-petal motifs used to decorate pedestals. Originally, 32 renben were planned to be cast, but only four—those that remain today—were completed.

bronze

The Great Buddha of Kamakura is made of bronze. It is said that the original statue was wooden, but the one that remains today is bronze. It stands about 11.3 meters tall. Although it has undergone multiple restorations throughout its long history, most of the work has involved the bronze sections. Because bronze is resistant to rust and very durable, the statue has retained its beautiful appearance to this day.

About 11 meters

The Great Buddha of Kamakura stands about 11.39 meters tall, overwhelming all who see it, and it is the only National Treasure in Kamakura.

cavity

The interior of the Great Buddha of Kamakura is hollow, and visitors can go inside. It is open to the public year-round from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The visiting hours for Kotoku-in vary by season, so please check the schedule before you go.