About crowdfunding projects

At Jorakuji Temple (Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture), five "Genuine Unkei Buddhas" designated as National Important Cultural Properties are enshrined. After the Great East Japan Earthquake, it was discovered that there was a fault under the storage, and the damage caused by aging deterioration became noticeable. In order to take over the Buddha statue that has been protected for 800 years for a long time, we planned the seismic isolation work and repair work cost of the storage, and the project started. Thanks to you, all the construction work was completed by March 2017. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who supported us.

■ About the true works of Jorakuji Temple and Unkei Buddha

Currently, there are about 30 Buddhist statues that are considered to be Unkei's true works all over Japan, and 5 of them are stored in the Jorakuji storage.

Jorakuji is said to be one of the Amida-do temples built by Yoshimori Wada, who was ordered by Minamoto no Yoritomo to be a samurai-dokoro during the Kamakura period. It is also said to be Yoritomo's Shochojuin).

About 50 years ago, it was discovered that the Buddhist statue enshrined there was made by Unkei, the head of the Kei school, which is the most famous Buddhist priest in Japan, and was designated as an important cultural property of Japan.

After that, I began to understand that the Unkei Buddha at another temple was a genuine work. This was a very valuable discovery.

In addition, five Buddhist statues made by Unkei, which were placed three years before the statue of Jorakuji, were designated as national treasures in 2013 (Heisei 25) at Ganjojuin in Izunokuni City, Shizuoka Prefecture. Since the Great Buddha of Kamakura is the only national treasure for sculpture in Kanagawa Prefecture, it is expected that it will be the next national treasure from the example of Ganjojuin.

■ We are looking for continued support.

As the 66th generation of Jorakuji, I am proud of this statue and temple that has been passed down to the present day after overcoming various problems for the past 800 years. I think that I can inherit that feeling and culture because I am right in front of me. This project has been achieved in order to create an environment where more people can visit for a long time, both as a national cultural property and as the principal image of Jorakuji Temple. Buddhism is a "guideline for living in the present." We hope that many people will join us as a guide to living affluently in the present. From now on, "temples" will enter a very difficult time. We need the cooperation of many people. The crowdfunding project has ended, but we are still looking for support. If you agree, please contact us using the email form.