Nirvana statue at Hachimensan Jingoji Temple

Mount Hachimen has been considered a sacred mountain in mountain Buddhism since ancient times, and so in 1966, Shinohara Kakuzui, the first chief priest of Jingo-ji Temple, made a vow to carve a 7.8m long, 1.4m high statue of Shakyamuni Buddha at his death into a huge rock base at the foot of the mountain. He hoped that those who worship it would remember the virtues of Shakyamuni Buddha and contribute to world peace. After 6 and a half years of work, the statue was unveiled in 1972.