Takaoka Daibutsu

The Takaoka Daibutsu is a bronze seated statue of Amida Buddha standing about 16 metres tall including its pedestal. The present statue was completed in 1933 after earlier wooden versions were lost to fire, and it draws on Takaoka's long tradition of copperware casting. It is frequently listed alongside the great Buddhas of Nara and Kamakura as one of Japan's three great Buddha statues. Visitors can walk the corridor around the pedestal, where paintings and a preserved head from an earlier statue are displayed. The statue stands about a ten-minute walk from Takaoka Station in the city centre. There is no set admission fee; visitors may make a voluntary offering.