Nara’s Great Buddha of Todaiji Temple Gets Yearly Dusting

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:57 JST, August 8, 2023

The Great Buddha of Todaiji temple gets a once-a-year dusting on Monday in Nara. About 170 priests and members of the congregation dressed in white cleaned the 15-meter-tall statue, a designated national treasure, in about two hours. This year marks the 1,250th anniversary of the death of Roben, the first chief abbot of the temple. “I’m glad the Great Buddha is clean again in this important year for the temple,” said Koei Hashimura, the temple’s chief abbot.