#twenty three

The first step in visiting 10,000 statues was taken by Kuya

–Mr. Mihotoke became obsessed with Buddhist statues after seeing the statue of Kuya Shonin at Rokuharamitsu-ji Temple in Kyoto on a school trip. People tend to focus on the Amida Buddha at the mouth and the staff with deer antlers on the statue of Kuya Shonin, but it seems he was drawn to the “feet.”

The statue of Kuya Shonin is so cool! What particularly caught my eye were the legs of a long-distance runner peeking out from the worn out sandals. In addition to the realistic design, I was impressed by the realism that made me think, “He must have been walking through the desolate streets of Kyoto.”

I can almost picture in my mind the footsteps of Kuya, a hero of the town, who worked to improve the infrastructure of the ruined city during the Heian period.

–When we amateurs like us look at Buddhist statues, what should we pay attention to in order to enjoy them?

Why not try making comments in your mind… Although Buddha isn’t exactly a fool (laughs). If you express your thoughts through comments, like “Her lips are so thick, she’s like Angelina Jolie!”, I think you’ll be able to see the character’s features more clearly.

The Goko Shii Amida Buddha of Konkai-Komyoji Temple, popularly known as “Afro Amida,” is frequently featured on social media, perhaps because it’s easy for people to make comments about it.

–While there are Buddhist statues that are famous tourist spots, such as the Great Buddha of Kamakura, there are also statues that were on the verge of being discarded.

This is the “Yakushi Nyorai and other Buddhist statues” at Nanzenji Temple in the Izu region of Shizuoka Prefecture. It is a valuable Buddhist statue from the Heian period, but as time passed, fewer people took care of it, and when a Buddhist statue expert discovered it, it had been stuffed into a cardboard box. Apparently it was about to be used as firewood for a bonfire.

But when you see it in person, you can feel that the feelings of the people who have prayed are present in the statue. Perhaps the feelings of the people who have been praying for hundreds of years are seeping out of the statue.