Buddhism has been regarded as one of the major religions in Japan, but I don't think it has played the same roles as Christianity in the West and Islamism in the Middle East.
It was thought to flow into Japan through Korea in the midst of the 6th century, but it didn't have a definite form or doctrine to cling to, so the people were just attracted by magnificence of Buddhistic statues, which made them believe it had a supernatural power to ask for help.
More important, such splendidness, as you might call ostensiveness, was utilized to unite the small communities into Japan in the 7th century. Therefore, so many huge temples and statues were built in the Nara and Heian periods (710-about 1200).
One of the big examples is in the photo. The building is named "Daikodo" in "Todai-ji" in Kyoto. Can you see the small door in the big door? The small one is for persons. The big one is for the 12 huge statues who live inside. I hope you will have a chance to appreciate each of them.
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