The original statue is a wooden statue of Fugen Bosatsu (Samantabhadra) riding an elephant: an original buddha deity for the Suwa Taisha Shrine worshipped at Suwa Upper Shrines until the first year of Meiji era. The original statue was made in the Kamakura period; however, in fear of the power of Suwa Taisho Shrine, Lord Nobunaga destroyed the upper portion (where the "Bosatsu" had been) during his invasion of the Suwa region in later years. We believe Koshun, a Buddhist sculptor from Kei School re-created the current statue. The elephant has an impressive crescent-moon-shaped eye and a thick foot crunching on the ground, conveying a sense of stability. The Fugen Bosatsu sitting on lotus flower atop the elephant in a cross-legged “kekkafuza” style, gazes at us with her lovely round eyes and her palms together in “gassho” style.