Heiwa Kannon Statue, Utsunomiya.

“In the Ōya stone district in 1948 one stonemason began carving a giant Buddhist statue into a wall of rock. His name was Namizo Ueno. He had lost his two brothers in World War Two and as he worked on the statue he prayed for world peace. But he soon ran out of funds and couldn’t continue his work. After that, the Ōya Tourist Association took over the project and asked a Professor Tobita — a sculptor, and professor at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music — to complete the project. Tobita’s aesthetic sense would not accept Ueno’s previous work, and so he removed the head Ueno had already carved. Tobita started sculpting a new statue from the beginning with the support of a large team of assistants. The statue was entirely carved by hand and eventually finished in 1954. The statue was named Ōya Heiwa Kannon (the Peaceful Goddess of Mercy).

“The statue is standing and measures 26.9m in height, 20m in girth with a 5m tall face. It is equivalent in height to a nine-story building. You can go up some steps behind the statue, and view it from there as well. Near the statue, you can also view ruins of an old quarry. Beyond the statue, there are huge stone walls leading to the nearby Ōya Temple.”