Kōtoku-in and the Great Buddha of Kamakura

Kōtoku-in (高徳院^?) is a Buddhist temple of the Jōdo-shū sect in the city of Kamakura in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.

The temple is renowned for its "Great Buddha" (大仏 Daibutsu^?), a monumental outdoor bronze statue of Amida Buddha which is one of the most famous icons of Japan.

The bronze statue probably dates from 1252, in the Kamakura period, according to temple records. It was preceded by a giant wooden Buddha, which was completed in 1243 after ten years of continuous labor, the funds having been raised by Lady Inada (Inada-no-Tsubone) and the Buddhist priest Jōkō of Tōtōmi. That wooden statue was damaged by a storm in 1248, and the hall containing it was destroyed, so Jōkō suggested making another statue of bronze, and the huge amount of money necessary for this and for a new hall was raised for the project.^[1] The bronze image was probably cast by Ōno Gorōemon^[2] or Tanji Hisatomo,^[3] both leading casters of the time.^[4] At one time, the statue was gilded. There are still traces of gold leaf near the statue's ears.^[5] It is unclear, however, whether the statue constructed in 1252 is the same statue as the present statue.