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Dandy1022, CC BY-SA 4.0
Nihon-ji Daibutsu
日本寺大仏Chiba · Kanto
The Nihon-ji Daibutsu is a 31-metre seated Yakushi Nyorai, the Medicine Buddha, carved directly out of the rock face of Mount Nokogiri — a magaibutsu, not a cast or assembled statue — and it is the largest pre-modern stone Buddha in Japan. It was cut in 1783 by the sculptor Ono Jingoro Eirei and 27 apprentices, out of the same andesite the mountain was quarried for. Centuries of weather then took it apart: by the modern era the figure had eroded badly, and it was recut and restored between 1966 and 1969, which is why it now stands 31.05 metres rather than its original height of about 37.7 metres. It sits in the grounds of Nihon-ji, a Soto Zen temple founded by tradition in 725, whose 100,000-plus tsubo of hillside also hold the Hyakushaku Kannon carved into a quarry wall and the 1,500 stone rakan figures along the paths.
- Best season
- Year-round
- Crowd level
- Moderate
- Opening hours
- Daily 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Admission
- Adults ¥700, children from age 4 to under junior-high ¥400. Groups of 30 or more ¥630/¥360. Holders of a disability certificate pay half on presentation, and one carer also pays half. The Nokogiriyama ropeway and the car parks are charged separately.
- Nearest station
- Hama-Kanaya Station (JR Uchibo Line)
- Website
- nihonji.jp
Usual hours — confirm with the official site for holidays + seasonal closures.
Today
9:00–16:00Admission
- Adults ¥700, children from age 4 to under junior-high ¥400. Groups of 30 or more ¥630/¥360. Holders of a disability certificate pay half on presentation, and one carer also pays half. The Nokogiriyama ropeway and the car parks are charged separately.
Stored weekly hours
Daily 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Closures
- ACCESS NOTE: the omote-sando front approach path is CLOSED by rockfall — the temple directs visitors to come via the Nokogiriyama toll road instead.
Note
- Last admission 3:00 PM.
- Check the temple's notice before setting out on foot from the station side.
How to get there
Nihon-ji occupies the south slope of Mount Nokogiri. The Daibutsu sits low on the mountain and is closest to the Daibutsu-guchi entrance on the east side; the Nokogiriyama ropeway from Hama-Kanaya lands near the summit, well above the statue, so arriving that way means a long descent and climb back. IMPORTANT: the front approach path is closed by rockfall and the temple directs visitors to the toll road.
Tags
buddhatemplearthistory
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