The “Kamakura Dai Butsu” (“Great Buddha”) has been frequently described. It is a mass of copper 44 feet high, and a work of high art. The image at Nara was first erected in the eighth century, destroyed during the civil wards, and recast about seven hundred years ago. Its total height is 53½ feet; its face is 16 feet long and 9½ feet wide. The width of its shoulders is 28 7-10 feet.
Nine hundred and sixty-six curls adorn its head, around which is a halo 78 feet in diameter, on which are sixteen images, each 8 feet long. The casting of the idol is said to have been tried seven times before it was successfully accomplished, and 3000 tons of charcoal were used in the operation. The metal, said to weigh 450 tons, is a bronze composed of gold (500 pounds), mercury (1954 pounds), tin (16827 pounds), and copper (986 080 pounds). Many millions of tons of copper were mined and melted to make these idols.
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From General Nelson A. Miles
Thrilling Stories of The Russian-Japanese War, 1904
