Goddess of Mercy : Workers climbed a giant statue of a Buddhist goddess in Japan to put a protective mask on her face. This is a kind of prayer for the end of the coronavirus pandemic.
It took three hours for the four workers to put the huge mask on the face of the 57-meter statue of the goddess of mercy Canon in the Hokokuji Temple in Fukushima Prefecture.
The statue, erected 33 years ago, is hollow with a spiral staircase that can be climbed to the height of the goddess’s shoulder.
People visit the statue that holds the baby to pray for a safe birth and ask for blessings for the newborns.
Temple Governor Takaomi Horigane says the idea of putting on a mask overshadowed workers’ discussions about restoring the statue after it was damaged in a February earthquake. Horegan added that they plan to keep the statue’s protective mask until the coronavirus situation in Japan is brought under control.
