Giant Buddha Is Surrounded With Harmonious Mound of 150,000 Lavender Plants

Hill of the Buddha by Tadao Ando

Photo: Youtube

Renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando brings harmony to the landscape by enclosing a large stone Buddha in a lavender covered hill. Located in the Makomanai Takino Cemetery in Sapporo, Ando was charged with shaping the landscape around the pre-existing sculpture.

For 15 years, the 44-foot-tall Buddha stood alone as a solemn 1,650-ton figure in a field. “Until now, the Buddha statue has stood alone in the field, giving an unrestful impression. The client wanted to give visitors a more serene appreciation of the Buddha,” Ando shared. “Our idea was to cover the Buddha below the head with a hill of lavender plants. We called the idea the ‘head-out Buddha.'”

Visitors are invited to approach the Atama Daibutsu (The Buddha's Head) via a 130-foot tunnel, the slow approach revealing the statue until one enters into an open dome, which allows the sky to act as a halo for the figure. The base of the mound is embraced by water gardens, providing added serenity to the scene. Here, Ando plays with elements of nature that slowly reveal the Buddha, whose head only slightly peers out of the mound.

From the exterior, the 150,000 lavender plants aid in the ever-changing mood of the monument. From the rich purple summer blooms and lush spring vegetation to a white snow-capped winter, with each new season the Hill of the Buddha takes on a different appearance. In this way, Ando allows the landscape to take control of the area, reshaping the way we view the manmade element inserted into the land.

“The project might be considered on the scale of landscape rather than architecture. It required a special frame of mind to rearrange the environment, and was a challenging and precious experience for us.” This isn't the first time Ando, a self-taught architect who is now a leading figure in contemporary architecture, has used nature to define space. In the mid-1990s, his Awaji Yumebuta or “100 Stepped Garden” helped transform what was once destined to become a landfill into a community gathering space.

Japanese architect Tadao Ando created the spectacular “Hill of the Buddha” to encase a pre-existing, 44-foot-tall stone Buddha at the Makomanai Takino Cemetery in Sapporo.

Makomanai Takino Cemetery Giant Buddha

Photo: Youtube

Visitors walk through a long tunnel until they are face to face with the stone Buddha.

Makomanai Takino Cemetery Giant Buddha

Photo: Hiroo Namiki

The Hill of the Buddha

Atama Daibutsu in Hokkaido

Photo: Youtube

Atama Daibutsu in Hokkaido

Photo: Areerat pheompon via Shutterstock

Atama Daibutsu in Hokkaido

Photo: Youtube

Surrounding water gardens embrace the landscape architecture.

Makomanai Takino Cemetery Giant Buddha

Photo: Sarun Wongrajit via Shutterstock

150,000 lavender plants bloom brightly and fragrantly in the summer, while winter brings a snowy effect to the environment.

Hill of the Buddha by Tadao Ando

Photo: Youtube

Makomanai Takino Cemetery Giant Buddha

Photo: Shigeo Ogawa

Watch this video to get a sense of Ando's magnificent design.

h/t: [Dezeen]

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Jessica Stewart

Jessica Stewart is a Contributing Writer and Digital Media Specialist for My Modern Met, as well as a curator and art historian. Since 2020, she is also one of the co-hosts of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. She earned her MA in Renaissance Studies from University College London and now lives in Rome, Italy. She cultivated expertise in street art which led to the purchase of her photographic archive by the Treccani Italian Encyclopedia in 2014. When she’s not spending time with her three dogs, she also manages the studio of a successful street artist. In 2013, she authored the book 'Street Art Stories Roma' and most recently contributed to 'Crossroads: A Glimpse Into the Life of Alice Pasquini'. You can follow her adventures online at @romephotoblog.
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