Fukujuzan Daikokuden Myohoji Temple
Main Image Shaka Nyorai Statue for the Memorial of the Great East Japan Earthquake Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
Impression TagsPeacestrengthsolemnity
DescriptionA golden statue of Shakyamuni dedicated to the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake stands in the outdoor grounds of Myōhō-ji in Kawabe, Iwaki. It was erected to mourn those who died on March 11, 2011, to pray for the town’s earliest possible recovery, and to bring calm to the hearts of temple members and worshippers. Set beneath an open sky amid the surrounding mountains, the figure expresses a prayer that acknowledges grief while continuing toward the future. The nearby memorial to freestyle motocross rider Eigo Sato further makes the precinct a place where personal and communal memories are held.