The far more famous Kamakura Daibutsu (big Buddha) may well have more history, character and aesthetic merit, but when it comes to sheer and surely insurmountable size, the Ushiku Daibutsu in Ibaraki Prefecture is patently unparalleled.
As, not only is it big.
It’s absolutely bloody enormous.
An almost unbelievable 120 metres including its base big in fact.
A behemoth that was built during the heady days of the bubble, meaning its like will probably never be seen again — or at least not in the near future. Which, in many ways is a pity, as the way it towers over nearby fields,
farms,
and little old ladies who once worked in those fields and farms,
is utterly fascinating.
(As an added bonus of sorts, here are a couple of pictures of the colossus while under construction. This one showing the the structure’s gradual completion, and my personal favourite, an almost Dali-esque piecing together of its head.)