1 Yoryu Kannon

This Kannon is said to help exorcise harmful diseases with the willow branch held in its right hand. The word “bakkuyoraku”, penned by the founder of this facility, Tokuzo Yamada, is engraved on the back. This term refers to the “Kannon bodhisattva releasing all mankind from suffering and leading it to a state of bliss.”

Stone carver Rakuzan Takahashi created more than 40 Doukutsu Kannon statues during his lifetime, some of which took up to a year to create. This collection of works fully embodies the young Rakuzan Takahashi’s attempt to capture the enthusiasm Tokuzo Yamada felt towards attaining a peaceful world. Takahashi sacrificed his own time on earth to create these stunning pieces.

One unique feature of Doukutsu Kannon statues is that, in addition to their being works of art in their own right by Rakuzan Takahashi, their design was overseen by Yamada with the Buddhist aesthetic in mind, and they incorporate the backdrop, lava formations, and natural stones to insert the statue within the surrounding rock face. In this way, visitors to the facility will be able to deeply commune with Kannon in heart and mind.