Nihon Sun » Buddha Statues http://www.nihonsun.com Japan's Online Travel & Culture Magazine Thu, 24 Sep 2009 22:55:46 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Kawagoe Buddha Statuary http://www.nihonsun.com/2008/11/18/kawagoe-buddha-statuary/ http://www.nihonsun.com/2008/11/18/kawagoe-buddha-statuary/#comments Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:00:41 +0000 Shane Sakata http://www.nihonsun.com/?p=305 This past weekend my husband and I made the almost two hour trip from Chiba Prefecture to Kawagoe in Saitama Prefecture.  Nicknamed “Little Edo” this town is famous for it’s traditional architecture and a quaint old fashioned atmosphere.  We spent an enjoyable afternoon wandering about the town and ended up at Kitain Temple where 540 statues representing the disciples of Buddha can be found.

The statues were carved between 1782 and 1825 and no two are alike. Some believe that if you visit the statues in the dark of night you will find only one that is warm to the touch and if you mark it and return the next day you will find the statue that most represents yourself.

Kawagoe Buddha Statues

My husband claims that this statue bears a resemblance to the Hunchback of Notre Dame – what do you think?

This and other great images of Japan can be found in The Nihon Sun Japan Photo Gallery.

Image Credit:  Personal Collection

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