He resides in Asukadera, in the town of Asuka Mura, where I stayed for five months when I first came to Japan 13 years ago. We visited our relatives’ church there a few days ago. The most amazing thing about this Buddha is that he survived fires and earthquakes that ravaged the very temple built around him – he was the only thing left standing, and the villagers protected him by wrapping him in straw. The current temple was rebuilt for him around 180 years ago. Unfortunately, whoever tried to repair his face did a very poor job of it, but he still projects a lot of power. He’s the…