What makes this temple particularly special is its many urns and mausoleums spread across the property which housed the ashes of Buddhists from across the country. In 1887, a priest commissioned a sculptor to create statues of Amida (the principle Buddha in Mahayana Buddhism) by mixing the ashes of the deceased with resin in order to preserve their remains. At the time of WWII, there were 6 statues, which were sadly lost to a bombing near the temple, but a 7th was built later from the fragments of the earlier statues. Amazingly, this statue contains the ashes of nearly 220,000 people! Every 10 years, another statue is created which brings the current number to 12. In 2017, Osaka can expect its 13th statue.
Additionally, the temple’s contemporary gate is an eye-catcher, made of glass, steel and concrete instead of the traditional wood. Accompanying the gate is the Hiso-den building, which was built to resemble a church. Both structures were planned and designed by the current head priest, who also happens to be an architect.
