Atama Daibutsuden（Head Great Buddha Hall)

The Daibutsuden, designed by world-renowned architect Tadao Ando, houses a gigantic 13.5-meter-high, 1,500-ton statue of the Great Buddha.

The dome-shaped space is located under a small hill in Makomanai Takino Cemetery, and only the head of the Great Buddha can be seen sticking out of a hole in the middle of the roof.

The majestic and beautiful sight of the Buddha’s head integrated with the lavender in summer and the silvery white hill in winter has become popular on social networking sites, attracting many people from all over the country.

Entering the cemetery from the main gate, only the head of the Great Buddha can be seen at the top of the small hill. As you proceed through the approach to the Daibutsuden, you will see the head and body, but the face is hidden by a part of the Daibutsuden.

In front of the Daibutsuden is a water garden like a boundary, designed to prevent visitors from proceeding straight down the approach to the temple, and to purify the mind with water and switch the mind from the ordinary to the extraordinary.

Behind the water garden, there is a tunnel leading to the Great Buddha, with a series of curved concrete ceilings that represent a womb-like space surrounded by darkness.

Passing through this tunnel, one can look up at the soft face of the Great Buddha for the first time. Natural light streams in through the circularly cut sky, and this mystical worship space is a place where one feels as if one’s heart is being cleansed.

There is a café and store by the water garden, where you can enjoy a light meal, coffee, and purchase original goods.

The hill surrounding the Big Buddha is planted with 150,000 lavender plants, which are in full bloom from mid to late July.

At the back of the hill, 33 moai statues stand as if guarding the cemetery. The largest stands 9.5 meters high and weighs 120 tons. The “mo” in moai stands for the future, and the “ai” for life.

The park is home to 33 moai statues, each 9.5 meters high and weighing 120 tons (meaning “live in the future”).

Other stone statues include a reproduction of the British World Heritage Site “Stonehenge,” statues of Zocho-ten, Hiromokuten, and a human-headed winged lion.

The artistic appeal of the Great Buddha Hall has become well known overseas, attracting busloads of tourists from all over the world.