Gansenji Temple: Seated Amida Nyorai 岩船寺：阿弥陀如来 （阿弥陀如来坐像）

Official explanation

Enshrined in Gansenji Temple’s main hall is its principal deity, a wooden statue of the Amida Nyorai, the Lord of the Western Paradise, who leads the dead to the land of bliss. This Seated Amida Nyorai is an Important Cultural Property of Japan and is nearly three meters tall. The fact that it is hewn from a single, enormous zelkova tree makes its size all the more impressive. The precise date of its creation was brought to light upon the discovery of an inscription inside the statue that notes its completion date over one thousand years ago in 946. Among the Seated Amida Nyorai statues with known creation dates, Gansenji Temple’s is thought to be the oldest. In addition to its remarkable size and age, it is also very well preserved. Vestiges of the original red dye of its clothes can still be seen on the left-hand side of the statue.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.