Shōhō-ji (Gifu)

Shōhō-ji
正法寺
Shōhō-ji; 正法寺
	Gifu Great Buddha
Religion
Affiliation	Ōbaku school
Location
Location	8 Daibutsu-chō; Gifu, Gifu Prefecture
Country	Japan
Architecture
Completed	1638
Website
	Shōhō-ji Great Buddha (in English); Shōhō-ji Great Buddha (in Japanese)

Shōhō-ji (正法寺) is a Buddhist temple of the Ōbaku school of Buddhism in Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan.^[1] It is a branch temple of Mampuku-ji in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture. The temple has many aspects of the Ōbaku school, but its building style and sacraments are in the Chinese style. Additionally, it is much larger than the average Japanese temple. The temple's official name is Kinpōzan Shōhō-ji (金鳳山正法寺).^[2]

History

The temple was first established in 1638, but did not join the Ōbaku school until 1692. In 1790, Ichū (推中), the 11th head priest, began planning the construction of the Gifu Great Buddha out of respect for Tōdai-ji's Great Buddha in Nara. Ichū never saw the completed Buddha, as he died in 1825. The Great Buddha was finally completed in 1832.^[2]

Facility information

Hours of Operation

April to October: 9:00am to 6:00pm

November to March: 9:00am to 5:00pm

Open throughout the year.

Entrance Fee

	Individual Rate
Adult	200yen
Child	100yen

Directions

From JR Gifu Station (Bus Platform 11) or Meitetsu Gifu Station (Bus Platform 4), board any bus towards Nagara. Get off the bus at "Gifu Koen, Rekishi Hakubutsukan-mae," approximately 15 minutes from the train stations.

References and external links

^ Gifu Great Buddha Archived 2008-12-08 at the Wayback Machine. Gifu Convention and Visitors Bureau. Accessed June 5, 2007.
^ ^a ^b Gifu Shouhouji Daibutsu. Shōhō-ji. Accessed December 4, 2007.