shindai butsuji

Shin-Daibutsu-ji is a temple of the Shingon Chisan sect located in Tominaga, Iga City, Mie Prefecture, bearing the mountain name Gohōzan. Its principal object of worship is a Vairocana Buddha image. According to temple tradition, it was founded during the Nara period by the monk Gyoki under the vow of Emperor Shomu. In the Kamakura period, a great Buddha hall comparable to that of Todai-ji was constructed by imperial decree of Retired Emperor Go-Toba, giving rise to the name Shin-Daibutsu-ji (New Great Buddha Temple). Though the temple suffered repeated destruction in medieval warfare, the Vairocana Buddha seated image survived and is now designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan.