Holy Mary-Kannon of Harajo Castle, in Minami-Shimabara

The world’s tallest wooden Holy Mary-Kannon statue, with 10 meters in height.

The statue is located in Minami-Shimabara-city, 10 minutes drive from Hara Castle Ruins,

where is the site of the Battle field of Shimabara Rebellion.

The statue was created by Sculptor Oyamatsu Eiji.

Realizing in the youth that there were no commemorative monuments in Hara Castle, he decided

to create a statue of Holy Mary after the visit of the Pope to Japan in 1981. In order to give peace

to souls of the victims of Shimabara Rebellion, he kept creating for 40 years on his own the statue

as his personal masterpiece of lifetime. He hopes that the statue can provide relief to the soul and

a place for healing, and christened the statue “Holy Mary-Kannon of Hara Castle” as a hope for

peace, regardless of any religious belief.