Radiography of the Great Buddha at Kamakura

In carrying out radiography on a bronze Buddha statue kept in a country temple, Co/sup 60/ should be used as the irradiation source. However, the circumstances make the convenient irradiation apparatus unavailable in general, and the simple source had to be hung with a long string by remote operation. Preceding the recently performed repairing of the Great Buddha at Kamakura, a gamma radiographical study was carried out on the bronze wall of this Buddha. As the results of this study, mention is made on blow holes, thickness, cracks, and so on. Cracks seen in this statue can be said to be not very fatal, because they can be classified as those which have been invoked by the thermal stress in the original state when the statue was made. The study revealed the imperfectness of fusion between two consecutive parts of the statue cast by parts. On the inside surface of this statue, at junctions of consecutive parts, three kinds of reinforcing devices made in the course of casting can be seen. It is clear that the people in the Kamakura period were aware of the imperfect fusion of the junction of parts of the bronze statue cast part by part.more » (auth)« less