| Also
jourokubutsu 丈六仏. The term used to describe a very large statue of
Buddha. Originally any statue more than twice life-size was referred to
as daibutsu. The size expressed the greatness and superhuman quality
of the Buddha. The height of the statue was measured in traditional Japanese
units of length; the shaku 尺 (30.3cm) and the jou 丈 (10shaku).
A daibutsu was higher than 1 jou 6 shaku, or 4.85m,
known in Japanese as jouroku 丈六. This figure was used because it
was said to be the actual height of Buddha. The oldest daibutsu in
Japan is the Asuka Daibutsu 飛鳥大仏, erected in 606 in Nara's Asukadera 飛鳥寺,
although on the present day statue only the face and the fingers of the
right hand are original. Today the term daibutsu normally refers
to the two most famous images in Japan which are the Great Buddha of Nara,
a seated image of Vairokana Buddha (approx. 16m), erected in 746 in the
Daibutsuden 大仏殿, Toudaiji 東大寺, and the Great Buddha of Kamakura (11.4m),
erected in 1252, which has been left in the open air since the temple building
was damaged in a storm. Traditionally, however, the three great Buddhas
of Japan, or *sandaibutsu
三大仏 were the Great Buddha of Nara, in Taiheiji 太平寺, Osaka, and that in Sekidera
関寺, Shiga prefecture. Japan's daibutsu statues were generally made
from cast bronze *chuukin
鋳金,and sometimes gold plated *kondoubutsu
金銅仏. |
