The Tragic Tale of the Kyoto Great Buddha

Did Kyoto Also Have a Great Buddha Statue?

When it comes to Great Buddha statues, the ones in Todai-ji Temple in Nara and the Great Buddha of Kamakura are world-famous. However, did you know that Kyoto once had its own Great Buddha, even larger than the one in Todai-ji Temple?

In 1586, Hideyoshi Toyotomi (1537-1598), a powerful daimyo and the second “Great Unifier” of Japan, decided to build a Daibutsu, or Great Buddha in Kyoto. This Buddha was constructed at Hoko-ji Temple, near the present-day Kyoto National Museum. Following the destruction of the Great Buddha in Todai-ji Temple due to fire, Hideyoshi aimed to create a new symbol of Buddhism and power in Kyoto.

The construction of the Buddha statue and its hall began in 1588 and involved over 60,000 workers. It took eight years to complete, and by 1595, the statue stood proud at Hoko-ji Temple. The hall housing the Great Buddha was enormous, with dimensions of 49 meters in height, 88 meters in length, and 54 meters in width, comparable to a castle.

In 1591, Hideyoshi’s brother Hidenaga and his son, Tsurumatsu both passed away, leaving Hideyoshi without an heir. He adopted his nephew Hidetsugu and appointed him as his successor. Hidetsugu moved into Jurakudai (Hideyoshi’s base in Kyoto) and became a powerful figure in Japan. However, in 1593, Hideyoshi had a new son, Hideyori, with his concubine Yodo, which changed his plans. Hideyoshi began to favor his own son over Hidetsugu, leading to a dual governance system that caused tensions.

In 1595, rumors spread that Hidetsugu was plotting a rebellion while on a hunting trip. Despite his attempts to explain himself, Hidetsugu was ordered to stay at Mount Koya and eventually forced to commit seppuku (ritual suicide). His death was followed by the execution of his family and retainers, amounting to over 30 people. This series of events was said to have triggered Hidetsugu’s curse.

The following years saw a series of disasters. In 1596, the Keicho-Fushimi earthquake struck, causing the Great Buddha to collapse. Hideyoshi reportedly cursed the Buddha, saying, “What kind of Buddha is this, crumbling so easily in an earthquake?” The earthquake also destroyed the recently completed Fushimi Castle, Hideyoshi’s favorite retreat.

After Hideyoshi’s death in 1598, efforts were made to rebuild the Great Buddha. In 1602, Nene (Hideyoshi’s widow) and Hideyori (Hideyoshi’s son) began reconstructing the statue in bronze. However, it was destroyed by a fire before completion. In 1612, a new bronze Buddha was completed, and in 1614, a large bell was added. This bell would later play a significant role in the “Bell Inscription Incident.”

The bell bore inscriptions that read “Kokka Anko 国家安康 (Peace and Prosperity to the Nation) and “Kunshin Horaku 君臣豊楽 (Joy for the Sovereign and Subjects).” Ieyasu Tokugawa (1543-1616), who succeeded Hideyoshi as the ruler of Japan and established Edo Shogunate, took offense at these inscriptions, interpreting them as a slight against him and the Tokugawa shogunate. He used this as a pretext to initiate the Siege of Osaka in 1615, which led to the downfall of the Toyotomi clan.

The Great Buddha of Kyoto faced numerous calamities over the centuries. In 1662, the Great Buddha was damaged in the Omi-Wakasa earthquake. It was rebuilt in 1667 but was struck by lightning in 1798, causing another fire that destroyed both the Buddha and its hall. In 1843, a smaller wooden Buddha was constructed but was later lost in a fire in 1973. Eventually, the Great Buddha of Kyoto disappeared entirely.

However, the bell from Hoko-ji Temple remains and is considered one of Japan’s three great bells, along with those at Todai-ji Temple in Nara and Chion-in Temple in Kyoto. While visitors to Kyoto cannot see the Great Buddha today, you can still observe the remnants of the former Great Buddha Hall’s stone foundation along Yamato Oji Street.

Although the Great Buddha no longer stands in Kyoto, a smaller replica, one-tenth the original size, was created during the third reconstruction in 1667. This replica, donated by the fourth Tokugawa shogun, Ietsuna Tokugawa, is enshrined as the principal image of Shaka Nyorai (Shakyamuni Buddha) at Daitoku-ji Temple in Kyoto.