Sendai Daikannon, Buddhist statue in Izumi-ku, Japan.
Sendai Daikannon is a white Kannon figure in Izumi-ku, Japan, rising 100 meters (328 feet) tall. The sculpture shows the deity holding a jewel in the right hand and wearing a crown adorned with small Buddhas.
The sculpture was built in 1991 as part of a temple and stands on a hill outside central Sendai. The structure remained standing without major damage during the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
The name Daikannon combines the honorific for the compassion deity Kannon with the word for large or great. Visitors walk through twelve floors inside the figure, each one displaying small carved figures that follow the path of Buddhist teaching.
Visitors can climb up inside and look through windows at Sendai and the surrounding mountains. The interior shows different levels with Buddhist objects along the way up.
The first major renovation in 2023 included cleaning and repairing surface cracks by climbers. The white coating of the figure is refreshed regularly to maintain its bright appearance.
Location: Izumi-ku
Inception: September 1, 1991
Height: 100 m
Address: 宮城県仙台市泉区実沢字中山南31番地の36
Website: http://daikannon.com/kannon.html
GPS coordinates: 38.30050,140.82363
Latest update: December 4, 2025 23:43
Monumental religious statues stand at dozens of sites worldwide, demonstrating the scale of spiritual devotion across different faiths. From the 98-foot (30-meter) Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro to the 420-foot (128-meter) Spring Temple Buddha in Henan Province, China, these structures in stone, concrete and bronze represent diverse religious traditions. Large Buddha statues appear throughout China, Japan, Thailand and Myanmar, while Hindu deities including Shiva and Murugan stand at similar scales in India and Malaysia. The collection also features monuments from other spiritual contexts, including the moai of Easter Island, the Statue of Liberty in New York and the Great Sphinx at Giza in Egypt. Each site offers visitors insight into local religious practices and architectural approaches to depicting sacred figures. These locations draw millions of pilgrims and travelers annually who come to witness both the technical achievement and cultural importance of these monumental works.
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