Confidence
| Field | Confidence | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Temple name | 97% | Bottom-left red square seal in tensho clearly reads 黄檗宗 金鳳山 正法寺 (Ōbaku-shū / Kinpō-zan / Shōhō-ji); right-column brush reads 「日本三大佛」 ("Japan's Three Great Buddhas"); left-column brush reads 「岐阜大佛」 (Gifu Daibutsu); top-right rectangular red seal reads 「仏法興隆」 (Buppō Kōryū / "Flourishing of the Dharma"); the central round red seal contains 仏 (Buddha) inside a halo. All match Shōhō-ji's documented goshuin. |
| Date | 96% | 令和七年四月四日 = 4 April 2025 — clean brushwork. |
Identification
- Name (Japanese): 黄檗宗 金鳳山 正法寺 (本尊：釈迦如来)
- Name (Romanized): Ōbaku-shū Kinpō-zan Shōhō-ji
- Common name: 岐阜大佛 (Gifu Daibutsu — "Gifu Great Buddha")
- Type: Buddhist temple — Ōbaku Zen sect (黄檗宗), branch of Manpuku-ji at Uji
- Honzon (principal image): 釈迦如来 (Shaka Nyorai / Shakyamuni Buddha) — the Gifu Daibutsu, 13.7 m tall
- Status: One of "Japan's Three Great Buddhas" (日本三大佛) alongside the Nara Daibutsu and Kamakura Daibutsu
- Location: Daibutsu-chō, Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture
- Date received: 令和七年四月四日 = 4 April 2025
Reading the goshuin
| Element | Reading | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 仏法興隆 | Buppō Kōryū — "Flourishing of the Buddha-Dharma" | Top right, red rectangular seal |
| 日本三大佛 | Nihon San-dai-Butsu — "Japan's Three Great Buddhas" | Right column, brush |
| 釋迦如來 | Shaka Nyorai — Shakyamuni Buddha (the central calligraphy in the formal old-style characters 釋迦如來 rather than 釈迦如来) | Center, large black brush |
| 仏 (Buddha) in halo | Stylized red round seal with 仏 character set within rays / lotus halo | Center, large red round seal |
| 岐阜大佛 | Gifu Daibutsu | Left, brush |
| 黄檗宗 金鳳山 正法寺 | Sect (Ōbaku Zen) / Mountain name (Kinpō-zan) / Temple name (Shōhō-ji) | Bottom-left, red square seal |
| 令和七年四月四日 | 4 April 2025 (Reiwa 7) | Right column lower, brush |
About the Gifu Daibutsu
The Gifu Daibutsu is a 13.7-metre-tall seated Buddha statue of Shakyamuni Buddha. Construction began in 1791 under abbot Ichū (惟中) of Shōhō-ji and was completed 38 years later in 1832 — an extraordinary multi-generational temple project funded entirely by donations.
What makes this Daibutsu unique is its construction method:
- Core: a 1.8-metre-circumference ginkgo tree trunk (本柱)
- Skeleton: wooden framing built around the central pillar
- Body shell: bamboo woven like a basket — giving the statue its alternate name 籠大仏 (Kago-Daibutsu / "Basket Buddha")
- Surface: layers of clay applied over the bamboo
- Skin: sheets of Mino washi paper inscribed with sutras (経典) glued to the surface
- Finish: lacquer (urushi) and gold leaf
This is the largest dry-lacquer (kanshitsu / 乾漆) Buddha statue in Japan — a technique used at small scale in classical sculpture but applied here at monumental size for the only time. The interior is hollow, allowing the statue to be unusually light for its size and resistant to earthquake damage.
"Japan's Three Great Buddhas" (日本三大佛)
The traditional grouping of Japan's three great Buddha statues is:
- 奈良大仏 / Nara Daibutsu — at Tōdai-ji, completed 752 CE; ~14.7m, bronze, the original "Daibutsu"
- 鎌倉大仏 / Kamakura Daibutsu — at Kōtoku-in, ~13.4m, bronze, completed 1252 CE
- The third slot is contested — historically held by various candidates (Hyōgo Daibutsu, Echizen Daibutsu, etc.), but Gifu Daibutsu (1832) is the most commonly listed third in modern groupings
Shōhō-ji actively promotes its claim to the third slot, and the right-column brush 「日本三大佛」 on the goshuin is part of that branding. Note: this is the Buddha-statue grouping, distinct from the more general 三大Daibutsu lists.
About Shōhō-ji and the Ōbaku Zen sect
金鳳山正法寺 (Kinpō-zan Shōhō-ji) was founded in 1683 by abbot Hirohiro (広音) and converted to the Ōbaku Zen sect (黄檗宗) in 1692 by abbot Sengai (千呆). The Ōbaku sect is the third and youngest of Japan's three Zen schools (alongside Rinzai and Sōtō), founded in 1654 by the Chinese monk Yinyuan Longqi (隠元 / Ingen Ryūki) when he emigrated from Ming-dynasty China to Japan.
Shōhō-ji is a 末寺 (matsu-ji / branch temple) of 黄檗山萬福寺 (Ōbaku-zan Manpuku-ji) in Uji, Kyoto — the head temple of the Ōbaku sect. Distinguishing features of Ōbaku-sect Buddhism:
- Strong Chinese-Ming-period influence in chanting (still uses Chinese-pronunciation sutras), liturgy, and architecture
- Vegetarian fucha-ryōri cuisine tradition
- Architectural use of Chinese-style coffered ceilings, dragon pillars, and yellow-walled halls — quite distinct from native Japanese Zen architecture
Why "Buppō Kōryū" (仏法興隆)
The top-right red seal reads 仏法興隆 (Buppō Kōryū) — "Flourishing of the Buddha-Dharma." This is a classical Buddhist phrase first articulated as a state policy by Empress Suiko (推古天皇) in 594 CE in the famous Three Treasures Edict (三宝興隆の詔), which made Buddhism a court-protected religion. By using it as their seal motif, Shōhō-ji places itself in the lineage of the official patronage of Buddhism in Japan.
Why this temple, why this day
The user's 4 April 2025 Gifu visit (#14, #15, #16, #17 are all Gifu) appears to have been a multi-temple/shrine day in Gifu City: Gifu Daibutsu (Shōhō-ji) → Gifu Zenkō-ji → Gifu Tōshō-gū → Gifu Gokoku Jinja. All four sites are within ~1 km of each other on the south-east slope of Mount Kinka (金華山) below Gifu Castle.
What it's known for
- The Gifu Daibutsu (籠大仏) — Japan's largest dry-lacquer Buddha statue, 13.7 m tall, completed 1832 after 38 years of construction
- The only "Daibutsu" outside Nara/Kamakura widely accepted as one of Japan's Three Great Buddhas
- The unique bamboo-basket / sutra-paper construction technique
- Connection to the Ōbaku Zen sect with Chinese-Ming-period elements
- A common stop on Gifu City pilgrimages alongside Mount Kinka and Gifu Castle