Nanzoin is a Shingon Buddhist Temple in Sasaguri, Fukuoka-prefecture. It is notable for its bronze statue of a reclining Buddha, said to be the largest bronze statue in the world. Completed in 1995, the giant bronze Reclining Buddha statue, known as Nehanzo, depicts the historical Buddha at the moment of his death and entry into nirvana. The statue’s impressive dimensions and intricate details make it a sight to behold, attracting visitors from all over the world. length : 41m, height : 11m, weight 330ton      

Nanzoin Temple, Reclining Buddha statue…の続きを読む

  The first Chinese style temple in Nagasaki. Shortly after the construction of Kofukuji Temple, Chinese traders asked the Nagasaki governor for permission to built Chinese temples according to their home provinces. It is recorded that this temple was built in 1629 by people  who came from Fuzhou in Fujian Province. It is designated as a National Treasure.       The existing main hall ( called Daiyuhoden ) was first prefabricated in China, then transported by Chinese ship and constructed in 1646. As the oldest existing structure to retain the Obaku style of the end of the Ming Dynasty, the temple’s hall is highly evaluated.    

Sofukuji Temple…の続きを読む

  After the Tokugawa Shogunate banned Christianity, non-Christian Chinese merchants  began making port at Nagasaki around 1600. Chinese people soon started living in Nagasaki and etitioned the Nagasaki government to let them built a Chinese temple to pray for safe navigation and console of the deceased. Permission was granted for the construction of  first Chinese temple.     Kofukuji Temple was completed in 1620, and Chinese traders then planned to invite a high-ranking priest from China as the temple’s chief abbot. The Kofukuji Temple’s present main hall was built in  1883 by Chinese experts who were invited to Japan mainly by residents in Nagasaki hailing from Nanjin. It was designated as an Important Cultural Asset.    

Kofukuji Temple…の続きを読む