Chokokuji Temple et Daibutsu

The Hall of the Great Buddha of Chokokuji Temple

Chokoku-ji Temple was founded in 1775. The 11 faces Kannon, better known as the Great Buddha of Akita was completed in 1786, and the outer building, known as the Great Buddha, was completed in 1794. The precincts of the original temple were completely destroyed in a fire in 1888. The present-day Kannon was rebuilt in 1892 and the reconstruction of the Hall of the Great Buddha was completed in 1896.
The Kannon is 7.87 m high and made from mosaic cedar. It was painted in lacquer and finished with gold paper. The Hall of the Great Buddha is 21.2m high a dual-layer wall. Window in the upper part of the front of the building shows the face of the Kannon. There is also a large, round pillar which acts as a support for the whole structure.

On February 11th each year a ceremony called "Daihanya Kitoe" takes place here in Akita. Participants pray for wisdom, peace and prosperity. On August 22th the annual "Shinbutsu Konkoku"festival is held. This festival  incorporates gods from both the shinto and buddhist religious, a characteristic which is rarely found in Japan nowadays.