Visiting Todai-ji's Great Buddha Hall early in the morning, before the crowds arrive, the immense figure of Vairocana Buddha gazes down in silence upon whoever stands before it.

Cast during the Tenpyo era, a time when epidemics and famine repeatedly struck the nation, the statue is said to have been born from the hopes of those who lived through such hardship. Exactly how much they poured into raising something of this scale, no one can say for certain today.

Only a small plaque describing its origins still stands quietly beside the great figure. Standing there, a question quietly rises: for what purpose, exactly, does this enormous Buddha exist here?