Carving of the Nihonji Daibutsu (daibutsu means "great buddha") was completed in 1783. Damaged over the years by earthquakes and the elements, the stone figure was restored in 1969.
This daibutsu is carved in a common pose for a Medicine Buddha, with his left hand holding a bowl and his right hand palm upward. Visualization of the Medicine Buddha is said to be good for mental and physical health.
The buddha is on the grounds of Nihonji Temple in Chiba Prefecture, which is on the eastern coast of Japan near Tokyo. The original temple was established in 725, making it one of the oldest in Japan. It is now run by the Soto Zen sect.
