The only Buddha in Kamakura designated a national treasure

It is not known when Kotokuin was founded or when the Great Buddha was erected, but according to the Azuma Kagami, a chronicle of the Kamakura period, the casting of the Great Buddha commenced in 1252. The statue was once housed in a great hall, but the building was battered by typhoons and tsunami and eventually destroyed, leaving the Great Buddha sitting in the open air. The Tokan Kiko, a medieval account describes the erection of temple’s first, wooden, Buddha. A well-known poem by Yosano Akiko celebrates this statue: “Though Buddha he may be, how handsome Shakamuni is among the summer groves of Kamakura.”

Look for the cornerstones!

The cornerstones that once supported the great hall are still found on the premises. Try to imagine what the building might have looked like.