Showa Daibutsu – Aomori, Japan - Atlas Obscura
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Showa Daibutsu

Aomori, Japan

The tallest bronze seated statue of the Buddha in Japan. 

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Sakura tie in Showa Daibutsu, Aomori halukermis (Atlas Obscura User)
Sakura tie in Showa Daibutsu, Aomori halukermis (Atlas Obscura User)
Showa Daibutsu, Aomori halukermis (Atlas Obscura User)
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<em>Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stoicviking/2770239215/">Stoicviking</a></em>

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Located in Aomori at the Seiryū-ji (Blue-Green Dragon) Temple is a colossal likeness of Dainichi Nyorai completed in 1984. This particular Buddha, known primarily as Vairocana in Sanskrit, is the principal deity of the esoteric Shingon sect of Buddhism. This particular Daibutsu is the tallest seated bronze statue of the Buddha in Japan, taller even than the famous Daibutsu of Nara.

Shingon Temples hold light ceremonies during the Bon Festival, in mid-August, to help those in a liminal state between life and death successfully transmigrate. Often, during this time, parents of a recently departed child will pray for the pacification of their own souls, and for that of the child. The Seiryuji Temple is no different in this respect, holding grand light ceremonies for the entirety of the Bon Festival.

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Clinton
Added by
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Published
December 19, 2009
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