---
node: great_buddha_of_nara
type: event
slug: great_buddha_of_nara
title: "Great Buddha of Nara"
lead: "Emperor Shomu vowed a colossal bronze Vairocana Buddha in 743 and mobilized the realm to cast it at Todai-ji in Nara; the eye-opening consecration followed in 752."
published: 2026-07-09
updated: 2026-07-09
image_file: great_buddha_of_nara.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Daibutsu_Grand_bouddha_-_T%C5%8Ddai-ji_-_Nara.jpg"
image_author: "Gilles Desjardins"
image_license: "CC BY-SA 4.0"
---

## What happened

Emperor Shomu vowed the project in 743, mobilizing the realm to cast a colossal bronze Vairocana Buddha — roughly 15 meters seated — at Todai-ji in Nara. The popular monk Gyoki helped raise support, and the casting consumed an enormous share of the country's bronze.

The eye-opening consecration ceremony in 752 was led by the Indian monk Bodhisena before a great assembly.

## Background

The vow came after years shaken by the smallpox epidemic and unrest. Mobilizing the whole realm for the Buddha followed that turmoil.

## Consequences

The project marked the high-water mark of Nara state Buddhism, with Todai-ji at the head of the provincial temple network. The statue was damaged repeatedly over the centuries: the present head is an Edo-period recasting, while parts of the body remain original.