Gyōki Dies before the Great Buddha Is Completed

Gyōki, the monk who had helped gather contributions and supporters for the Great Buddha project, died at Sugawara-dera in 749. His followers cremated him and buried his remains near Chikurin-ji on the eastern side of Mount Ikoma. He did not live to see the bronze body completed later that year or the eye-opening ceremony at Tōdai-ji in 752.

A fragment of his gilt-copper epitaph survives. Its identification also depends on a later record: an account of the opening of Gyōki's grave in 1235 preserves a transcription of the inscription. The physical fragment and the medieval copy belong to different stages in the history of the burial. Together they preserve evidence about Gyōki's death and the community's later care for his memory.