Nihon-ji Daibutsu (Great Buddha)

The Nihon-ji Daibutsu is a seated stone Buddha carved directly into the rock of Mount Nokogiri, inside the grounds of Nihon-ji Temple in Kyonan, Chiba Prefecture. At 31.05 meters tall, it is described as the largest stone-carved seated Buddha in Japan. Entry to the temple grounds is 700 yen for adults.

The figure is Yakushi Ruriko Nyorai, the Buddha of healing, shown holding a medicine jar in its left hand. It is also the principal image of Nihon-ji.

History of the Nihon-ji Great Buddha

According to the temple, Nihon-ji was founded in 725 by the monk Gyoki at the request of Emperor Shomu. It began as a Hosso school temple and later belonged to the Tendai and Shingon schools. It became a Soto Zen temple under the third Tokugawa shogun, Iemitsu. In its early centuries the temple was one of the largest in Japan.

The Daibutsu was first carved in 1783 by the stonemason Ono Jingoro Eirei and 27 disciples, who spent three years cutting it out of the mountainside as a prayer for world peace. A four-year restoration began in 1966 and gave the statue its present form.

What to see at Nihon-ji

The temple grounds cover the south face of Mount Nokogiri and are divided into areas joined by stone steps. Expect a lot of climbing: the paths run from the base of the mountain almost to the summit.

• Daibutsu Hiroba (Great Buddha Plaza): the Great Buddha sits at the back of a wide plaza on the middle slopes, surrounded by small Onegai Jizo statues left by visitors with their wishes.

• Rakan area: a hillside of weathered stone rakan (arhat) statues, the temple's group of about 1,500 disciples of the Buddha.

• Hyakushaku Kannon: a 100-shaku (about 30-meter) Kannon carved into the wall of a former quarry. It was finished in 1966 after six years of work, as a memorial to war dead and traffic victims.

• Jigoku Nozoki ("Peek into Hell"): a lookout near the summit with views over Tokyo Bay and the Boso Peninsula as far as Mount Fuji.

Tickets and gates

• Adults: 700 yen

• Children (age 4 to junior high school): 400 yen

• Groups of 30 or more: 630 yen for adults

You pay at whichever gate you enter, and you can re-enter by showing your ticket. The temple's admission and hours page lists current prices.

There are five gates. The West Gate (Nishiguchi) near the summit is the one to use if you arrive by ropeway or by the toll road. The East Gate (Higashiguchi) is beside the free parking lot at the end of the Nokogiriyama sightseeing road, only two or three minutes up the steps from the Great Buddha. The Omotesando Gate is at the foot of the stone stairway from the Hota side.

How to get to the Nihon-ji Daibutsu

• By train and ropeway: take the JR Uchibo Line to Hama-Kanaya Station, then walk about 8 minutes along Route 127 toward Tateyama to the ropeway base station. The Nokogiriyama Ropeway takes about 4 minutes to the summit station and costs 650 yen one way or 1,200 yen round trip for adults. From there, enter at the West Gate.

• By train from Hota: get off at Hota Station on the same line and walk about 30 minutes on a footpath to the Omotesando entrance, then climb the stone steps.

• By ferry: from Kurihama in Kanagawa, the Tokyo Wan Ferry crosses to Kanaya Port in about 35 to 40 minutes. The ropeway is a 12- to 15-minute walk from the port.

• On foot from Hama-Kanaya: a hiking trail of about 60 minutes climbs to the North Gate near the Hyakushaku Kannon. It is not a built stairway, so wear proper shoes.

Suggested walking route at Nihon-ji

A common route is to take the ropeway up, see Jigoku Nozoki and the Hyakushaku Kannon near the summit, then walk down past the rakan statues to the Great Buddha. Going back up to the ropeway means climbing the same steps, and the temple warns that the grounds have many stairs and some rough sections.

If you have a car and want less walking, the temple suggests parking at the West Gate for the summit area, then driving down to the East Gate for the Great Buddha. Wheelchair users can reach the Great Buddha Plaza from the Daibutsu Gate on the toll road, with assistance.

For the rest of the Boso Peninsula and Chiba Prefecture, see our Chiba Prefecture trip planner.

To compare it with the bronze statue south of Tokyo, see the Kamakura Great Buddha.