Daikanmitsuji Temple: Avalokitesvara of Sendai

JAPAN, Miyagi, Sendai; Heisei period

The statue was built to commemorate the centenary of Sendai’s incorporation as a city and is the tallest standing statue of Avalokitesvara in Japan. The 100 m in height represents the 100 years since Sendai became a city and the 21 m that was dug underground represents a wish that the 21st century would be granted with a booming economy.
The cloaked Bodhisattva carries a vase in the left hand. The right hand is raised and cradles a jewel. The entrance to the interior is in the shape of a dragon’s mouth in reference to the phrase “entering the dragon gate,” which symbolizes prosperity. The twelve levels inside can be accessed by an elevator. Windows in the statue’s stomach and back allows visitors a view of the city and the Pacific Ocean. There are statues of religious figures on the first level, including a form of Kannon that protects “water children” (lost before birth). The third to eleventh levels have 108 Buddha statues and are open for public veneration.