As Fischer (1991, 3) pointed out, the title Buddha refers to the enlightened or the awakened one. The Buddha Vairocana, or the Cosmic Buddha known in Japanese as Daibutsu (the giant Buddha) which is located in the Great Buddha Hall of the Todaiji Temple is believed to bring peace to the nation. Because Vairocana, as a term originated from Hindu tradition, represents not only omnipotence but philanthropical deeds accomplished through meditation (Buswell and Lopez 2013, 949). According to the Avatamsaka Sutra, the Cosmic Buddha encompasses thousands of Buddhas and millions of enlightened beings who embody his instructions and wisdom (De Bary, Keene, Tanabe, and Varley, 2001). Besides, the Ākāśagarbha bodhisattva positioned beside the Cosmic Buddha is the bodhisattva of wisdom and memory who mitigates plights and provide remedies for people’s misconducts (Schumacher, 2019). In a nutshell, both deities were incredibly essential to hold the civic society accoutable

Emperor Shomu was a utilitarian monarch, and the primary goal of his devotion to Buddhism was to strengthen his authority as such. Emulating the nationwide temple network in China, Emperor Shomu proliferated Buddhist temples through the patronage of Buddhism under the kokubunji (provincial monasteries and convents) system. He built a consolidated system of state Buddhism with Todaij at the centre and provincial temples radiating around it (Goodwin 1994, 25).

Buddhism added up to his legitimacy in the soteriological form, marked by the realm-protecting cult of Buddha and monarch as ritual coordinators (Friday 1999, 451). In Todaiji's case, through patronage of the network of Buddhist monasteries, the magnificence of the throne was available to public viewing (Goodwin 1990, 221). Ostensibly as a mythical protective cult, Buddhism was actually utilized by him as an awe-inspiring religion to tame and stifle the civic society.

Apart from ideological subjugation, emperor Shōmu regarded the Buddhist universe as a metaphor for imperial rule -- with the spread of Buddhism, he could centralize aristocrats and provincial elites with the unified religion (De Bary, Keene, Tanabe, and Varley, 2001). The centrality of the Daibutsu conveyed a metaphorical notion that Shomu himself as the personification of the Daibutsu, or the object of worship (Goodwin 1994, 25). Besides, in terms of the financing for the construction expenses, Shomu invited evangelists (Gyogi)'s participation that eschewed popular protest and embellished his petition for voluntary financial support with the Mahayana ideal of evangelizing of all humankind (Goodwin 1990, 222). Therefore, he visualized himself as a sacerdotal, ethic monarch whose reign was justifiable by consent and divinity.

With the implementation of the kokubunji system, Buddhist monasteries rendered as locus of imperial reputation and power. They were also connections between the regions and capital or outposts of the central authority. Hence, emperor Shomu could derive his legitimacy through the massive projects institutionalizing Buddhism as a statecraft.