Ushiku Daibutsu

The Ushiku Daibutsu was completed in 1993 and stands 120 metres including its lotus base and platform - the figure itself is 100 metres, which made it the tallest statue in the world at completion and keeps it among the tallest today. It is bronze plate over a steel frame, built by the Jodo Shinshu Higashi Honganji school, and represents Amida Buddha. The scale is difficult to register from close up because there is nothing beside it: the surrounding land is flat farmland and the statue is visible from many kilometres away but has no reference object at its feet. A lift runs up inside to a viewing floor at eighty-five metres, where narrow slots in the chest look out over the Kanto plain; below that are floors of small gilded Buddha images and an exhibition on the construction. A garden, a small animal park and a shop occupy the grounds.

History

The statue of Amitabha was built to commemorate the birth of Shinran, founder of the Jōdo Shinshū, and is also known as Ushiku Arcadia. The builder, Kawada Kōgyō, first raised a central steel column to carry its whole weight and then a steel frame assembled on the ground block by block, and a lift takes visitors 85 m up to an observation floor (Wikipedia, Ushiku Daibutsu).

The main sights

• A 120-metre figure - bronze plate over steel, completed in 1993.
• The lift inside - up to a viewing floor at eighty-five metres in the chest.
• Nothing for scale - flat farmland around it, which makes the size hard to read.
• The interior floors - gilded images and an exhibition on how it was built.

When to go

All year; clear days for the view from the chest. Two hours.

What to expect

The interior is dim and lift queues form on weekends and holidays. The chest slots are narrow and the view is limited. The grounds include a small animal enclosure that will not appeal to everyone. It is a long bus ride from the station.

Nearby

Lake Kasumigaura is north-east; Tsukuba is north.

Key facts