Natatsukuri Kannon statue

This is a statue of Kannon (Goddess of Mercy) created in 1666 by Enku Shonin, a monk who traveled all over Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868). The statue was made using a single hatchet. It was temporarily lost in a forest fire, but was later found with burn damage. It is now enshrined at the Jigokudani Observatory.