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Otani: Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva
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Otani: Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva
JAPAN, Tochigi, Utsunomiya; Showa period (1926–1989), dated 1954; By Tobita Asajiro; Stone; H: 26.9 m
The sculpture was built in commemoration of the dead in the Second World War (1939–1945) and as an aspiration for world peace. Construction began in 1948 and it was consecrated in 1956, two years after completion. The statue was carved from the local Otani stone by Tobita Asajiro and is nearly 27 m high.
The figure stands barefoot on a pedestal of upright and inverted lotuses. A cloak and some ornaments are worn over the robe. The chest area has been left unfinished, allowing the character of the sedimentary rock, by which it is also surrounded, to be seen. |
