Hase-dera II

Kamakura, Japan. Hasedera (長谷寺) is a temple of the Jodo sect, famous for its eleven-headed statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy [photographs of this statue are prohibited]. The 9.18 meter tall, gilded wooden statue is regarded as one of the largest wooden sculptures in Japan and can be viewed in the temple's main building, the Kannon-do Hall. According to legend, it was carved from the same tree as the similarly tall Kannon statue worshiped at the Hasedera Temple in Nara Prefecture. On one side of the main hall stands the Amida-do Hall with an almost three meter tall, golden statue of Amida Buddha.