Case file · Apparition / miracle
The hidden Buddha of Zenkō-ji
Zenkō-ji in Nagano keeps an Amida triad said to be the first Buddhist image to reach Japan, thrown into a canal by opponents of Buddhism and rescued by Honda Yoshimitsu, who founded the temple in 642.
642 CE · 36.66, 138.19 · status: legend
The account
The image is never shown; a copy is displayed once every six or seven years. Legend says the statue spoke to Yoshimitsu and asked to be carried home.