Close to Kodai-ji Temple -sat bowed over a sorry looking car-park- sits a great plaster statue of buddha*, cross-legged amongst the foliage on the hillside. It is a rather odd addition to the eastern mountains, conspicuous because of its newness. Well, perhaps not odd. The largest buddha ever to grace Japan once stood not too far from the spot, a giant bronze statue housed in an immense hall, constructed by the most flamboyant of Kyoto's rulers, Hideyoshi Toyotomi. An earthquake put paid to the buddha, but now it has a rather uninspiring twin, forever praying for the souls of those lost in Japan's wars.
*This 24 metre high statue of Kannon (the Ryozen Kannon statue) seated was made using concrete in 1955. It is used for saying masses for the victims of World War II. A Juichimen Kannon (11-faced Kannon) and Busshari (relics of Shaka, the founder of Buddhism) are on the first floor of the statue, and a zodiac is on the second floor.
