Daibutsu, Kamakura

Kimbei Kusakabe

From an albumen of photographic prints of Nikko, Japan. Photographed and hand-colored by Kusakabe, they were originally compiled in an accordian style with a laquered, decorated case and sold to Western tourists as keepsakes of their travels.

Daibutsu means "giant Buddha" in Japanese. The Daibutsu in Kamakura is a monumental outdoor bronze statue located in the Kotoku-in temple in Kamakura, and dates from about 1252. The statue was left standing in open air after many storms and tsunamis hit and destroyed the hall surrounding it.

Kamakura is a city located in the Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan about 31 miiles southwest of Tokyo. Although Kamakura is a small city, it is often described in history books as a former de facto capital of Japan as the seat of the Shogunate and of the Regency during the Kamakura Period.