Gifu Great Buddha, Buddhist statue at Shōhō-ji Temple, Gifu, Japan

The Gifu Great Buddha is a seated Shakyamuni statue in Shōhō-ji Temple, 13.63 meters tall with a 3.63-meter face and 2.12-meter ears. Its gilded head and broad gold-toned torso rise above an altar with flowers, candles, and lanterns; the right hand is raised with thumb and index finger touching, and a string of beads hangs along the left side.

A Buddhist priest named Ichyuu initiated the project in 1790 and dedicated nearly four decades to its realization. Once finished in 1832, it became a religious monument of regional importance.

The statue is also called Kago Daibutsu, or Basket Buddha, because its bamboo frame was woven like a basket. Worshippers had sutras copied onto Mino washi paper, and the priest recited each sheet before it was pasted onto the clay; some 40,000 scrolls were used.

Shōhō-ji is at 8 Daibutsu-chō, Gifu; from Gifu or Meitetsu Gifu Station take a Gifu Bus toward Gifu Park or Nagara Bridge and get off at Gifu Park History Museum, a three-minute walk. The free car park holds only a few cars. For the return trip, the Daibutsu-minami Myōshō-ji-mae stop just south of the temple also works.

Hidden inside the statue is a trunk made from ginkgo wood that serves as a central support pillar holding the entire structure. Bamboo lattices beneath the outer layer form the framework that holds the gold and lacquer coating.