"The Daibutsu at the Temple of Nofukuji, Hyōgo" (1896 print)
I purchased this old book illustration through an eBay auction in 2014, had it framed, and hung it on my office wall. Without knowledge of that, on October 24, 2023 Flickr ally Bill Smith referred me to an on online copy of the source book--"MOUNTAINEERING AND EXPLORATION in THE JAPANESE ALPS" by "the rev. WALTER WESTON, M.A., F.R.G.S." [Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society].
The book was “Published "LONDON: JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET. 1896."
The title page lists the author's affiliations:
MEMBER OF THE ALPINE CLUB
MEMBER OF THE ASIATIC SOCIETY OF JAPAN
MEMBER OF THE GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY OF TOKYO, JAPAN
LATE BRITISH CHAPLAIN, KOBE, JAPAN
This is his description of the statue:
"In the precincts of an ancient temple [Nōfukuji, in Hyōgo] near my former Japanese home there sits the most remarkable, though the youngest, member of that numerous family of Daibutsu ("Great Buddha") so familiar to the traveller in this country. The features, it is true, wear the conventional
expression typical of that absolute calm and passionless
condition, that Nirvana to which the devout Buddhist
aspires. But on the forehead, in place of the little boss of
metal that stands for the sacred "jewel of the law," the
artist has fixed an electric light ! In some respects it is
certainly a speaking likeness, a parable in bronze, of the
Japan of to-day, with all the novelties of modern civilisation engrafted on the old-world ways and thoughts that
have for so many centuries characterized this most remarkable race."
Electric lamp on the forehead! I've not seen that mentioned anywhere else. A forehead light is not obvious here or on my other postcards of this Buddha. (According to the "History" page of the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan's website, the nation's first electric power company, Tokyo Electric Lighting, had started supplying electricity to the public in 1887.)
A picture in this online book is identical to the one I had framed--right down to the page number in the lower right corner.
For the icing on the cake:
On the archive.org website Bill found about 45 seconds of movie film that was shot at Nofukuji Temple. It's described as being "from the 1930s, probably produced by the Mikimoto Pearl company." The post's text notes the following running times and synopses of these segments:
11:46 Children near the side-entrance to the old statue of Nofukuji Temple Kobe Great Buddha, now known as Hyogo Daibutsu, before its destruction in 1944, surrounded by votive posts.
12:01 – 12:28 Views of the old Great Buddha of Kobe / Hyogo.
12:29 – 12:40 Street scenes: Older woman praying at the incense burner.
This remarkable find is viewable at archive.org/details/22394-japan-home-movies-pearl-diving-....
Note: The Nofukuji portion of the film actually starts at 11:43.
I'm indebted to Bill for the Walter Weston book and film reference. His research and company on the quest for the 1891-1944 Nofukuji Buddha are much appreciated.
"The Daibutsu at the Temple of Nofukuji, Hyōgo" (1896 print)
I purchased this old book illustration through an eBay auction in 2014, had it framed, and hung it on my office wall. Without knowledge of that, on October 24, 2023 Flickr ally Bill Smith referred me to an on online copy of the source book--"MOUNTAINEERING AND EXPLORATION in THE JAPANESE ALPS" by "the rev. WALTER WESTON, M.A., F.R.G.S." [Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society].
The book was “Published "LONDON: JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET. 1896."
The title page lists the author's affiliations:
MEMBER OF THE ALPINE CLUB
MEMBER OF THE ASIATIC SOCIETY OF JAPAN
MEMBER OF THE GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY OF TOKYO, JAPAN
LATE BRITISH CHAPLAIN, KOBE, JAPAN
This is his description of the statue:
"In the precincts of an ancient temple [Nōfukuji, in Hyōgo] near my former Japanese home there sits the most remarkable, though the youngest, member of that numerous family of Daibutsu ("Great Buddha") so familiar to the traveller in this country. The features, it is true, wear the conventional
expression typical of that absolute calm and passionless
condition, that Nirvana to which the devout Buddhist
aspires. But on the forehead, in place of the little boss of
metal that stands for the sacred "jewel of the law," the
artist has fixed an electric light ! In some respects it is
certainly a speaking likeness, a parable in bronze, of the
Japan of to-day, with all the novelties of modern civilisation engrafted on the old-world ways and thoughts that
have for so many centuries characterized this most remarkable race."
Electric lamp on the forehead! I've not seen that mentioned anywhere else. A forehead light is not obvious here or on my other postcards of this Buddha. (According to the "History" page of the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan's website, the nation's first electric power company, Tokyo Electric Lighting, had started supplying electricity to the public in 1887.)
A picture in this online book is identical to the one I had framed--right down to the page number in the lower right corner.
For the icing on the cake:
On the archive.org website Bill found about 45 seconds of movie film that was shot at Nofukuji Temple. It's described as being "from the 1930s, probably produced by the Mikimoto Pearl company." The post's text notes the following running times and synopses of these segments:
11:46 Children near the side-entrance to the old statue of Nofukuji Temple Kobe Great Buddha, now known as Hyogo Daibutsu, before its destruction in 1944, surrounded by votive posts.
12:01 – 12:28 Views of the old Great Buddha of Kobe / Hyogo.
12:29 – 12:40 Street scenes: Older woman praying at the incense burner.
This remarkable find is viewable at archive.org/details/22394-japan-home-movies-pearl-diving-....
Note: The Nofukuji portion of the film actually starts at 11:43.
I'm indebted to Bill for the Walter Weston book and film reference. His research and company on the quest for the 1891-1944 Nofukuji Buddha are much appreciated.