An ancient temple enshrining a Buddha who meditated for an endless amount of time
Located on the north side of Todaiji Temple, the Go-kan-in Temple will hold a special exhibition of the seated statue of Amitabha Buddha meditating on five kalpa (kalpa), which is said to have been brought from the Sung Dynasty by Shonin Chogen. The word "kalpa" means a very long time. The spiral hair, which looks like an Afro hairdo, represents the figure of a person who has been thinking for a dizzyingly long time.
The wooden seated statue of Amitabha (National Important Cultural Property), the main deity of Go-kaku-in, wi The "kalpa" in "five kalpa" refers to the time it takes for a celestial maiden, who descends on a large rock once every three years, to sweep the rock away with her sleeve until it is worn away. It is said that her hair grew long because she spent so much time thinking that she had to repeat this process five times.
