Perhaps one of the most impressive temples I’ve seen in Japan is Seidaiji Temple and the Echizen Daibutsu, only rivaled by Todai-Ji in Nara. 

Echizen Daibutsu was built by Kiyoshi Tada in 1987. Compared to the temples of Nara, that are hundreds of years old, this temple is basically brand new. But don’t let the date fool you, this temple is home to Japan’s largest sitting Buddha, standing or shall I say sitting at a whopping 17 meters tall. That is 2 meters taller then the Daibutsu in Nara. 

There are two large parking lots in front of the temple. Visitors then walk through a small temple village full of shops and eateries. Unfortunately, when we were here, this area was a ghost town. All the buildings were closed so I am not sure if this town took a hit because of Covid or if we visited in the off season. 

After passing the shops we found ourselves at the Daimon or Great Gate. After passing the gate, we were both in awe by the Seidaiji Temple sitting in front of us. This temple that houses the Great Buddha was just massive. Inside the temple was the Echizen Daibutsu.  

Within the Temple, stands the Great Buddha, there are also 2 Giant Buddha statues on either side of the Echizen Daibutsu . Within the walls of the inner temple were hundreds of other smaller buddha statues. 

Not only is Echizen Daibutsu the largest Buddha in Japan, but the tallest Pagoda in Japan can also be found within this temple complex. Pagodas are tall multi storied structures often found in Buddhist temples. 

The famous Tojo Pagoda in  Kyoto stands at 55 meters. The Pagoda at Seidaiji Temple stands at an impressive 75 meters. Visitors can actually go inside this Pagoda and take either the stairs or elevator to the top. The views from the upper floor of the Pagoda are breathtaking! You can see most of the temple complex from here along with Katsuyama Castle in the background.