In Japanese Buddhism, sometimes the dead are honoured in an unusual way. The ashes and bones of thousands whose remains were left to the temple are mixed with cement and water to create an ornate Kotsubutsu, or bone buddha, in the figure of Amida, the Buddha of infinite light, who presides over the Pure Land school.
Although the tradition of creating bone buddhas dates to 1887, only seven such figures remain in Japan. The first six were destroyed during air raids in WWII. This particular statue is 4m high.
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In Japanese Buddhism, sometimes the dead are honoured in an unusual way. The ashes and bones of thousands whose remains were left to the temple are mixed with cement and water to create an ornate Kotsubutsu, or bone buddha, in the figure of Amida, the Buddha of infinite light, who presides over the Pure Land school.
Although the tradition of creating bone buddhas dates to 1887, only seven such figures remain in Japan. The first six were destroyed during air raids in WWII. This particular statue is 4m high.