Echizen Daibutsu, Buddha statue in Katsuyama, Fukui, Japan
Echizen Daibutsu is a 17-metre seated Birushana Buddha at Daishizan Seidaiji, a temple of the Rinzai Myoshinji school in Katsuyama, Fukui Prefecture. The figure was modelled on the seated Vairocana at Fengxian Temple in the Longmen Grottoes, Luoyang, China. It sits in the Kondo hall, which copies Todai-ji's Great Buddha Hall, and the grounds also hold a five-storey pagoda, a Nandaimon gate of similar scale to Todai-ji's, a middle gate and a circuit garden with stones and stone lanterns gathered from across Japan.
Tada Kiyoshi, a prosperous taxi company owner, funded the construction of this statue, which was completed in 1987 after several years of building work. The project represented a significant investment in developing the temple grounds during the late 20th century.
The name Echizen Daibutsu refers to the Buddha of this temple, also called Shusse Daibutsu, "Buddha of success in life". The temple was built as a tourist facility and only became a Rinzai-shu Myoshinji temple in 2002. The five-story pagoda is the largest of its kind in Japan, and the main hall imitates Todai-ji's Great Buddha Hall.
The temple is in Katsuyama, Fukui Prefecture, at 50 Aza Katase. From Katsuyama Station on the Echizen Railway Katsuyama-Eiheiji Line, take the Gururin community bus (southern route) or the Heisenji shared taxi; the ride takes about 10 minutes. By car, leave the Chubu-Jukan Expressway at Katsuyama or Ono interchange and turn at the Asahimachi intersection on Route 157. In busy periods the temple car park is opened for Dinosaur Museum visitors, with a shuttle bus to the museum.
The five-story pagoda on the grounds is described as the largest in Japan, and also the largest built of reinforced concrete. The temple began as a sightseeing facility and only became a religious corporation of the Rinzai-shu Myoshinji school in 2002. Since around 2021 the city's DMO has marketed it abroad, and 2024 visits were 24 times the previous year's figure.
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