Cleaning crew spruces up giant Buddha


Celestial clean: Taguchi (bottom) and Minowa cleaning the right ear of the Ushiku Daibutsu giant Buddha statue in Ushiku of Ibaraki prefecture. — AFP

Emerging from the head of the world’s tallest bronze Buddha and climbing down to its right ear, two specialist cleaners gave the imposing Japanese statue an annual spruce-up to help it look its gleaming best.

Using high-pressure water guns, the pair yesterday blasted dust and bird droppings off the Ushiku Daibutsu monument, which soars skywards over Ushiku city, northeast of Tokyo.

The 120m structure is spruced up once a year by the two men, who have been entrusted with the job for nearly a quarter of a century.

“It’s a very unusual task,” said one of the veteran cleaners, 54-year-old Kazuyoshi Taguchi.

When he and Kazumi Minowa, 51, first took on the annual duty, “we had no idea how to clean the statue and faced many difficulties, like our bodies being rolled and blown around by the wind”, Taguchi said.

Yesterday, they carried rope and buckets of water up ladders to the very top of the Buddha, which is three times as tall as the Statue of Liberty without its plinth.They then descended through the 480 coils of curly hair, each one a metre wide, before blasting a year’s worth of white and grey dirt from the statue’s ear.

As the city where revered 13th century priest Shinran Shonin is believed to have established the popular Jodo Shinshu sect, Ushiku is an important place for Japanese Buddhism.

Visitors to the monument can take an elevator inside the massive body and peer out of windows at its chest, 85m above the ground.

Neither amateur boxer Taguchi nor fishing fan Minowa had a background in climbing, but Taguchi is “proud” to have carried out the special task – traditionally known as “soot removal” – for such a long time.

“Soot removal” is an annual event at Japanese temples, where monks and worshippers wipe dust from altars and clean buildings. Usually we use bamboo brooms, but they are just too small for this Buddha statue,” said Ushiku temple representative Masahiro Maekawa.

“This event also has the meaning for us of reflecting on the year, and starting a new one with a fresh mindset,” he added. — AFP

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
   

Next In Aseanplus News

Thai, Singapore PMs strengthen ties with focus on economy, military
New charges in alleged Singapore-based Chinese cybercrime ring reveal RM38mil fund inflow, global links
Lao PM: Asean leaders look forward to welcome Timor-Leste into Asean family
Indonesian sensation Sal Priadi promises an unforgettable night for Malaysian fans at Zepp KL on Saturday (Oct 13)
Four universities in Hong Kong rise in world rankings, with HKU retaining 35th place
UK police label Hong Kong-born doctor ‘despicable’ for murder attempt with toxin-laced jab
Hong Kong customs seizes HK$130 million of cannabis in sea shipment of soybeans from Canada
Miss Grand Cambodia organiser says she will do ‘everything’ to prevent Miss Grand International returning to Cambodia
Malaysia’s strategies as Asean chair in 2025 focuses on regional value chains, says Anwar
Chinese tourists to Cambodia's famed Angkor up 36% in first nine months

Others Also Read