09/01/2014

Great Buddha at Nofukuji Temple

One of Japan's three Great Buddhas

Community writer

Foto 1 de 7

The Great Buddha in Hyogo, a 10-minute walk from JR Hyogo Station, is one of Japan's three great buddha statues.(The other two being in Nara and Kamakura).

The Nofukuji Temple, which houses the Great Buddha, is located in an unusual suburb, very quiet and virtually no crowds. The idol sits on a lotus flower signifying the most important Sutra of Buddhism, The Lotus Sutra. The Lotus Sutra implies that nothing in world is permanent and the ability for all beings to gain enlightenment.

I was lucky to visit the temple during the cherry blossom season. I remember the articulation of impermanence when the ex-PM of Japan, Junichiro Koizumi, said on his announcement of retirement at the peak of popularity: "The flowers are beautiful because they bloom only for a certain amount of time. People, like flowers, should understand when it is time to go and hand the baton to the next generation."

The serene and quiet surrounding of Nofukuji Temple does not have many sakura trees; however, the view is really beautiful when the flower petals whither and settle in the nearby small canals which pass on either side of the Buddha statue.

Nofukuji Temple is said to have been founded in 805 AD, although the Buddha statue was replaced only in 1991.

A black and white snap of the Great Buddha

A panoramic setting with the suburban neighborhood in the backdrop

Nofukuji Temple, a 10-minute walk from JR Hyogo station, houses the Great Buddha and is a must-see place for tourists visiting Hyogo Prefecture. Access from Kobe on the JR Line is easy, and there is an annual event on May 9 and 10 called Hyogo Daibutsu Matsuri (Day of Enlightenment), which attracts a lot of crowds from the local community.